In Under Deep
by Siren's Dark Song
Summary: Kagome is a lead biologist of a secret underwater base and has strange abilites. Sesshoumaru is recuited to help her with a new weapon of war that the US gov. wants. With unfriendly starts and terroists waning the Shikon Effect, Kagome will have to use
1. Chapter 1

In Under Deep

A.N. Alright, I know this is not what I normally write, nor is it where I normally write. I normally write in Single Spark or in Adult Fanfiction. If you want to read any of my other fics, you will find my as Beautiful Silent Death in SS and in AFF I am SilentDeath. This is a Sci-Fi fic. I think you will like it. Give it a chance. Tell me what you all think, because I have a big ego and I like to hear what you all think about my work. Even it is from some other site. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own it. But I do own the other characters that will be in this fic.

Sesshoumaru sat in the small underwater sub. He really didn't want to be in this minisub, especially with this man that smelled like he hadn't bathed in about three days. Sesshoumaru made sure he took small breaths.

"How much longer until we come to the facility." He asked in a board tone.

"Not much longer, Mate," The man, answered back in an australian accent. "Just fifteen more minutes."

Sesshoumaru looked at the back of the blonde haired man with a heated glare. He was rugged looking and had a bad five o'clock shadow. He had a blue shirt on and faded blue jeans that fitted a little loosely. 'Bloody moron.' He diverted his eyes to the bluish-green water that surrounded the sub. He would see a fish occasionally and some other sea life pass by as the small yellow sub made its way deeper into the ocean.

He winced slightly as his ears started to pop. It was only small at first, but now it was becoming annoying. He lifted one of his clawed hands to his pointed ear and rubbed it. The deeper they went, the more he had to adjust to the pressure.

The man that sat in front of him looked in his mirror and noticed his actions. He offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry there, Mate. You will get used to it."

Sesshoumaru just sneered at the man and looked back out the window. The man smirked at Sesshoumaru, knowing from what he was told, that the demon would treat him in such ways. Oh yes, he was told about the Great Sesshoumaru Takashi. He was a Nobel Prize winner, held underwater records for holding his breath the longest (even for a demon), and was renown known Marine Biologist. He was an arrogant Son-of-a-Bitch and the man knew he was the best.

He wondered if he was a ladies man too. Sesshoumaru had looks most men would die for. He had a beautiful face. Most men would not want to be beautiful, but Sesshoumaru pulled it off nicely. He had a manly beauty to him. His markings stood out and his off-white tail wrapped around his right shoulder tightly. Sesshoumaru had silver hair that ended at his thighs and flowed when he saw him walk. He had shiny black dress shoes on, black slacks that fitted nicely, and his white shirt was pressed and fitted nicely. The man just shook his head and looked back out in front of him.

Soon a large, dark figure started to come into view. Sesshoumaru watched, as the large figure became a huge underwater base. The minisub looked like an ant next to the base. Sesshoumaru looked at the base in appreciation. It was very large. From what he knew of the structure, it held about fifty people, still giving it room for more if needed. He could see windows that were lit up. The only thing that offered light in the darkness besides the floodlights located outside in various places. He noticed big letters that gave the name of the base and a serial number below it.

The man maneuvered the sub to where it went under the base. There was a good twenty-foot clearing, giving them plenty of room. There was more flood lights that acted as guides and up ahead of it, in the middle, was a fifteen to twenty foot round opening. It was lighted as well, so you could see it easily. The driver of the small sub picked up a CB and started to speak into it.

"We are here, Mate," he said into the mouth peace, "Get the hanger ready."

"Rodger that Will. Welcome back," came a static reply.

"Well Mr. Takashi, we have finally arrived. Welcome to your home for the next two years." Will said.

"Don't remind me." Sesshoumaru bit out.

He would not of come here if it wasn't for an offer of a lifetime. He would be working for the American Government. It was for a chemical weapon that would give them the ability to make water nothing but deadly poison. A poison so deadly, that touching it alone would kill you. Why they would put it underwater was beyond him. The only reason he could come up with, was that it would keep people away and no one could really get to the deep base very easily. It took special equipment just to reach it. It's a perfect place to develop weapons for war.

Will moved the sub to go through the opening and let it rise. Sesshoumaru had to squint so his eyes could adjust to the bright lights. A loud electronic sound indicated a large metal rig was moving down to meet them. Sesshoumaru could feel them being lifted and moved to a special docking area so they could get out of the underwater machine.

Once the hatch was opened, Sesshoumaru took a big breath, hopping to get some fresh air. He got no such thing. Instead he got a whiff of recycled air conditioning and saltwater. He was really hoping to survive his full two years here. One would think they would get Cabin Fever from just staying confined to the place.

A few technicians waved to them, but Sesshoumaru ignored them. What caught his eye was a man in a lab coat, with black pants and shirt, walking their direction. Sesshoumaru had seen this man before, he just couldn't remember where. The man waved at them with a big smile on his face. He had violet eyes and short black hair that was tired in the back, giving him a short tail. He was tall, but not the height of Sesshoumaru. When he got to them, he started to help Will with the small amount of luggage that belonged to Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru suddenly recognized the man, His natural cedar sent helped. It was Miroku. He was Inuyasha's best friend.

"Hello!" The Miroku greeted, "Mr. Takashi, it has been awhile. Welcome to the Guppy."

Sesshoumaru looked at him under his nose, giving Miroku a heated glare before turning his gaze to study his surroundings. The docking area was not very exciting to look at. Mainly wet suits, scuba gear, some special deep-water gear, and loading equipment were in the area. Off to the side of them, he noticed one more minisub, this one being blue.

Miroku wouldn't let Sesshoumaru intimidate him. He had known him for ten years. Not personally, just from being around his younger brother, Inuyasha. The tall man always made him uncomfortable, but that never stopped him from trying to get Sesshoumaru on more comfortable terms. Miroku was a man that had unlimited amounts of patience. He might never succeed in making Sesshoumaru softer to him, but he wouldn't let himself get intimidated either.

"I'll show you around, Mr. Takashi. After our tour I will escort you to your quarters." Miroku said with a wave of his hand in the direction that he wanted Sesshoumaru to head in. "Will, could you please take Mr. Takashi's belongings to his room?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Willis." Responded Will.

Will bent over and started moving things in a pile to load on a large cart. Miroku turned and started to lead Sesshoumaru out a door located not too far from the loading deck. They proceeded down a long corridor; soft clicking of their dress shoes could be heard echoing with each step. Large windows, that almost reached the walkway floor, were showing the ocean around them. You couldn't see very far out in the ocean, but some area was visible due to the floodlights.

Sesshoumaru looked out of them as they walked down the long hall, noticing the sea life that seemed to swim in the direction they where walking.

A large shark swam close to the window, seeming to slow some to look at them. Sesshoumaru looked at the large fish. 'A Great White,' he thought to himself. Those sharks always made Sesshoumaru uncomfortable. When you looked into there eyes, they seemed lifeless, like a doll's eyes. Only theirs was all black. He could see his reflection in the black orbs that seemed to stair at him. He moved his eyes to its large teeth, teeth that could shred a man's arm without even trying. Sesshoumaru figured the shark to be about eighteen to twenty feet in length. Just as soon as the fish came, it then continued on its way. 'Strange,' thought Sesshoumaru, 'sharks don't behave in such a manner.'

"Inuyasha is not on the base right now. Sango and he are out working on one of the hauls outside of the base."

Sesshoumaru turned his head to look at the man beside him, "I am not interested in talking with the half-breed at this moment."

Miroku raised his brow at the answer, but just turned his head back forward and continued down the corridor. They soon came upon a room, which was open, for anyone to enter. Miroku entered first and looked around. When finding no one present he turned to Sesshoumaru, who had entered behind him.

"Here is the Mess Hall," Miroku stated as he let Sesshoumaru scan the room.

Sesshoumaru looked at four long rows of tables that had about fourteen to fifteen chairs to accompany them. He then looked over to the right; there was a cafeteria set-up for when food was being served. The place, being dull gray, was exceptionally clean. The only odors present were the food cooking in the back kitchen area.

"We cook all kinds of food here, because we have two chefs. One specializes in Demon cuisine, the other human. They are excellent at their job." Miroku stated. He remembered from visits to Inuyasha's old home, that Sesshoumaru didn't eat human food, instead preferring Demon food.  
Sesshoumaru just turned and gave him a narrowed look, making Miroku shift his feet.

"Well, let us be on our way."

Miroku turned and led Sesshoumaru back out the door. They continued until they came to a hallway that that separated form the one they were currently on. "This is a few of the barracks located here. Yours is not here, but Inuyasha's is. Mainly our techs stay here. They need to be here incase they are needed for technical problems."

"Do you have a lot of problems with the base?" Rang out Sesshoumaru's deep voice.

Miroku shot his hands up in a peaceful gesture, "No! No, we just need them here, just in case."

Miroku, hoping to change the subject of safety, turned and continued down the corridor. Sesshoumaru followed behind him, still looking out the windows. At least it was quiet. The ocean was always his favorite place, it being so dark and peaceful.

Soon they came upon a walkway that led to an adjoining base unit. Sesshoumaru hadn't seen this part when approaching in the mini-sub. He figured it must have been hidden by the first part.

"We will be walking across the 'Cat Walk,' as we like to call it. It connects to the main part of the base. The part where we do all of our lab work, experiments, and where the main base computer resides."

Miroku continued on his way. The catwalk was mostly pressurized glass, making it give a feeling of walking in the water. Sesshoumaru took in his surrounding as they walked. The walk itself was not very long. They arrived to the second base unit within three minutes. Before they could go any farther, a large metal gray door was in the way. Off to the side was a panel with a number pad on it. Miroku started to press his code on it, causing the heavy door to slide open.

"We all have our own codes. We don't allow everyone to have the same code. It could be a security hazard. We have different one's so we can keep track of who inters at what day and time."

The door opened and exposed a new corridor. Miroku started walking down it, letting Sesshoumaru enter behind him. The door closed automatically behind them with a soft boom.  
Miroku waited until Sesshoumaru was walking beside him again before addressing him.

"I will give you your own code soon. I need to get to the main computer to do so."

Sesshoumaru just nodded his head in understanding while looking out the large glass windows again. They walked a little farther before coming to a lab room that seemed to take up a large amount of room in the second base. There were a few scientists in the room working with various things. Miroku just nodded his head as they passed them. Sesshoumaru didn't regard them at all.

Miroku walked up to a woman in particular. She was about the same height, only being an inch or two shorter. She had short dark brown hair with long bangs going past her eyes. The color could have been mistaken for black unless the light hit it just right. She was nicely built and had large leathery wings resting against her back.

"Nicole, how are you doing?" Miroku called out to the woman.

Nicole turned around with a smile on her face and waved at him. "I am doing well, Miroku, and you?"

"Never better." He replied.

"Great." Nicole then looked over to the man standing beside him. 'A dog demon..,' "Who is this, Miroku?" Nicole questioned.

"This is Mr. Sesshoumaru Takashi, Nicole," he then turned to Sesshoumaru so he could introduce Nicole to him, "Mr. Takashi, this is Nicole Whitaker." Miroku turned back to Nicole. "He will be helping out on the Shikon Effect."

Nicole eyed him for a moment, making Sesshoumaru feel like she was sizing him up. "Nice to meet you Mr. Takashi. I have heard a lot of good things about you. I hope your stay here will be good and I look forward to working with you."

Sesshoumaru gave her a polite nod. He studied her for a moment, noticing her eyes. They were a mixture of light green and gray, constantly swirling together. The look gave a hypnotizing effect. She had pointed ears, but was not as prominent as his were. Instead they had a soft point to them that one could miss if not really looking. She was a dragon demon, but not one from Japan. She didn't have the almond shaped eyes as he did; she had rounder eyes and an oval face. She had no strips on her face, but she did have them on her for arms, three to be exact. He didn't doubt that she had some on her ankles and hips as well. Her wings were dark brown, the same color of her hair, and she had black nails. She was cute, and carried herself like someone with a good deal of confidence. He did notice that she wore jeans and a black tank top instead of what the other scientist wore. Looking at her large wings, he could understand why.  
"

You are not from Japan," Sesshoumaru stated, "Where are you from?"

Nicole smiled some, causing a fang to pop out onto her bottom lip. "I am from America. Ohio to be exact. My family can be traced back to the Mayflower. A lot of the dragons in England left because of hunting. At the time, it was still legal to hunt us down."

Sesshoumaru, finally having his curiosity about her fulfilled, gave him a simple nod. Miroku stepped forward with a small apologetic smile for interrupting their conversation.

"Excuse me, but do you know where Kagome is?" Miroku asked.

"Yes, I do. She is over in the Water Room." Nicole replied casually.

"Great. I will let you get back to work, Nicole."

Nicole nodded her head once and turned back around to continue her work. Miroku turned from Sesshoumaru and led them to a door located to the left of the large laboratory. There was another panel with a number pad, and Miroku typed the number in and stepped back to let it open. When it opened, they both walked in. Once inside, Sesshoumaru knew exactly why it was called the water room.

Most of the room was nothing but pressurized glass. The only part not glass was another room connected to a large water unit, built into the bottom of the room. It gave the impression of a pool. It led to the wall connecting to the room and disappeared to the other side. Where, Sesshoumaru didn't know.

"Kagome?" Miroku called out in the room.

"Over here!" Came a feminine voice.

Sesshoumaru turned his golden gaze to meet a small woman, about five foot two inches, peering back at him with large dark blue eyes and waist length black hair. Her white dress flowed at her feet, and she had a short jean jacket on to keep her arms warm. She was in the glass part of the room, looking like she was standing in the middle of the water. What amazed Sesshoumaru about her were that she was in front of two Great White sharks. They swam near her on the other side of the glass. They were large creatures, making Kagome look very small next to them. If it were not for the glass, he thought them to have a small feast out of her.

"Just hold on for a moment, Miroku." She said.

Miroku just nodded and waited. Sesshoumaru watched as she turned back and looked at the two large fish. She put her hands on the glass before her and bowed her head. He noticed her aura flare some, making it look like soft waves of blue floating around her. 'She is a priestess.' Sesshoumaru had not seen one for quiet awhile. Three centuries to be exact. She had waves of power coming off of her, giving her a blue glow.

All of the sudden she started to giggle. Sesshoumaru didn't know what she was doing with the sharks to begin with, but when she started to giggle, well, that just threw him off.

"Why is she laughing?" Sesshoumaru asked in a quiet tone, so not to disturb her.

"She is talking to the sharks." Miroku simply said.

Sesshoumaru lifted one silver eyebrow. 'Talking?' He turned his head back to watch Kagome. She finally turned and started to walk towards them, her simple white dress flowing with every step she took. As she stopped in front of them, she looked at Sesshoumaru and gave him a heart-melting smile. It was filled with warmth and friendship.

Sesshoumaru just stared at her with a board expression on his face. Kagome moved her head to Miroku and greeted him.

"Hi Miroku, how are you doing today?"

"Ah, very well my dear Kagome." He said.

Miroku turned to Sesshoumaru and introduced him. "Kagome, this is Mr. Sesshoumaru Takashi."

Kagome stuck her hand out for him to shake it. Sesshoumaru just looked at it then moved his eyes back up to meet hers again. Kagome looked at him for a second, looking deep into his eyes. He instantly narrowed his eyes when he felt like someone was probing in his head.

Kagome just smiled at him wider and introduced herself, "My name is Kagome Higurashi. I am one of the leading biologists working on the Shikon Effect. I take it you are the one that is going to be working with me?"

"Yes, you are correct." Sesshoumaru replied, eyeing the small woman in front of him. There was something strange about her. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Her smell was very pleasant though, it gave his nose a break from the saltwater and filled it with vanilla and lavender.

"Well Mr. Takashi, let us go and I will show you the main computer room." Miroku said as he turned to walk away.

Sesshoumaru didn't go instead he looked at the two sharks swimming no more then twenty feet from them. He then adverted his eyes back to Kagome.

"Why were you 'talking' to them?" He asked her. Sesshoumaru just didn't understand why she giggled when she was just looking at them.

"Because I can." Came her simple reply.

'Maybe she is mad,' Sesshoumaru thought to himself. He was startled when she started to laugh. It was not an unwelcome sound, being clear and smooth to his ears.  
"Why are you laughing?" He asked clearly confused. Was she laughing at him?

Kagome composed herself once more and looked at him with a smirk on her face. "Mr. Takashi, I assure you, I am not 'mad'. I have telepathy. I can read minds."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened some as he heard her, making him automatically put up a mind barrier around him. He was furious at the lack of information concerning her ability. He turned to Miroku and glared at him.

"You could of informed me of this bit of information. I do not appreciate people prying in my mind." Sesshoumaru bit out as he bared his fangs.

Miroku raised his hands in a calming manner. "I am sorry, Mr. Takashi. I didn't think you would be offended. Please forgive my ignorance."

Sesshoumaru turned and walked out of the room in a brisk pace. Miroku turned to Kagome and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry Kagome, he is not so bad when you get to know him some. I am sure he will warm up to you."

"Don't worry about it, Miroku. I just hurt his ego. Inuyasha warned me of it." She said with small smile.

"Well, I have to finish his tour of the base, Kagome. I will catch up to you later." He said walking briskly to catch up to Sesshoumaru.

Kagome turned around and walked back to the window and waited for her friends to swim back to her.


	2. Chapter 2

In Under Deep

A.N. I have noticed that some people are unsure about this fic. I know it is different, but you should give it a chance. The ones that have love it. I know you probably have not seen something like this and if you have, you might think it weird, but I really like where this is going. I will continue this for the ones that have liked it so far. If anything, I will just continue it on and not on SS. I have noticed I got more reviews there. It will be up to the reviews and how people feel. I hope you all enjoy! This has been Sapphire approved! Chapter revised!

Disclaimer: I don't bloody own them OK! I do own my OC and my two beautiful Great White Sharks. I have grown to like them. (Reaches down to pet them, feels a pull on her hand and pulls it back up. BSD now has a bloody stump.) "Stupid sharks see if I ever let you play with Sess's hair again."

Miroku caught up with Sesshoumaru as the tall Dog Demon angrily stomped to the main walkway. "Mr. Takashi, please."

Miroku finally caught up to him. Sesshoumaru stopped and looked out the large thick glass. 'I can't believe that wench actually intruded on this Sesshoumaru's mind,' He fumed. Sesshoumaru usually kept his cool, but Kagome just did something that he really despised. No one intruded on his thoughts. It was like someone raping a part of him. Sesshoumaru valued his privacy and to do something of this caliber…well, he felt violated.

"Mr. Takashi," Miroku tried again, "Please forgive me, I should have told you and really, it just didn't faze me that it would bother you so much. If I would of thought better…" He was cut off before he could finish his explanation by two blood red eyes of an angry demon.

"You're right Mr. Willis, you didn't think. It might benefit you to do so in the future." Sesshoumaru said, baring his fangs.

Miroku could have pissed himself at that moment. He could look two sharks in the eyes, but when it came to Sesshoumaru, he was not very secure with himself. He towered over Miroku and his aura flared at that moment, displaying his power and strength.

"Again, Mr. Takashi, I apologize. I will be sure to let you know about any other eccentric encounters in the future." Miroku said as he raised his hands in front of him in a peaceful gesture.

Sesshoumaru sighed deeply to calm is inner beast. He closed his eyes and let himself relax. By the time he was done, Sesshoumaru was back to his calm, cool self. He turned his now golden gaze back to Miroku and nodded his head.

"Let us continue the tour, please."

"Of course, right this way." Miroku gestured for Sesshoumaru to follow him in the direction they had originally been going.

Soon they came to a room that was mostly computers and view screens. Sesshoumaru could hear all the beeping and electrical buzzing that filled the air. Most of the view screens were blank, but a few showed different areas outside of the base. He would occasionally see a fish or some other aquatic life pass a screen. One of the screens showed a separate unit that was much smaller than the rest of the base. The small metal structure was by itself and surrounded by a dozen lights. It had no outer entrance to it, so he figured it had an opening on the bottom like this base did.

"I have noticed you eyeing our storage base. It is really small. All it holds is extra diving equipment and scuba gear. We have a few spear guns out there to. But other than that, nothing else of importance. It is far from this base. I really don't know why the Government made it so far. It takes our deep diving gear to reach it and about a twenty minute travel time to get there. It's also located by a steep cliff. If one should ever fall over the side of it, the pressure would crush them. We don't go that deep here. We just stay on this level."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head in understanding. He looked over to the far corner and noticed the underground pool that he spotted back in the Water Room. This one also looked like it disappeared in the wall. 'It must connect somewhere.' "What is that?" He questioned.

Miroku followed his gaze until, he to, looked at the deep-bottomed pool. "Oh, that is our water tank for Tom and Shi."

Sesshoumaru raised his brow in a questioning manner and moved his eyes to meet Miroku's. "Who are Tom and Shi?"

"I'm sorry," Miroku, said with a smile on his face, "I meant the two Great White sharks you saw earlier with Kagome."

"You have named the two fish and let them in the facility with you?"

"Well, they are not like most sharks," Miroku answered, "They are genetically enhanced." Miroku continued on when he saw Sesshoumaru's other brow meet his first one. "I was the one that created the two. Kagome and I have raised them since. They have larger brains than regular sharks and can think on a more advanced level. Kagome said they have more of a child like nature."

"Do you always play God down here, or is this an exception?" Sesshoumaru coolly asked. He really didn't like how they made an eating machine more intelligent.

"We did this at the request of the US Government. They wanted to clone a more advanced underwater creature. They already use dolphins. They wanted to know if we could come up with anything that could learn as well as one. So we now have Tom and Shi. They really are fun sharks, but one would not know to look at them." Miroku replied with a smile on his face.

"How old are they? By the size, I would guess them to be about ten years if not more." Sesshoumaru inquired.

"They are only three years old, Mr. Takashi. We suspect them to grow to fifty if not more in feet."

Sesshoumaru was surprised but he didn't let it show on his face. 'Just what kind of place are they running here?' he mused. It was something that he needed to look into later; right now he just wanted this tour to get over with so he could retire to his room.

Suddenly a door opened from the other side of the room and a tall demon walked in with shoulder length dark blue hair. He had matching eyes and his skin almost had a blue tint to it as well. What really stuck out were the two-layered slits on the each side of his neck. The new demon had a sleeveless white shirt on and sported scales on his shoulders and around his wrists in a metallic like pattern that blended with his skin. The blue swim trunks he wore went to his knees and fitted loosely around his slender waist. It had been awhile since Sesshoumaru has seen a Serpent Demon. The new arrival turned his narrow face to Sesshoumaru and nodded his head in a respectful gesture.

"Miroku, I take this man to be Mr. Takashi?" He asked as a clawed hand was extended to Sesshoumaru for a handshake.

"Yes, it is. Sesshoumaru I would like you to meet Ty. He is our Computer Specialist." Miroku said as he introduced Ty.

"Nice to meet you, Ty." Sesshoumaru casually said while giving a firm shake to his hand. It didn't slip by Miroku that Sesshoumaru shook the other demon's hand while not shaking the humans.

"The same." Ty simply replied.

Ty walked around Sesshoumaru until he approached a computer terminal. He started to type some things on the keyboard. Suddenly, one of the bigger screens popped up and showed two people in deep-water suits working on the side of the base. He could see bright flickers of light every once in a while, indicating that they were welding underwater.

"Sango and Inuyasha are having to stay out there longer then normal to fix that leak. They haven't found what caused it, but they are working on getting it sealed," Ty explained. "I will have to go out there and help them with some of the wiring. If I don't, then they will have to come back in to refill their tanks and then go back out again."

Miroku nodded in understanding and then turned to Sesshoumaru, "Well, let us get you a code so you can come and go as you please."

Miroku walked up to a control panel and started to type some codes into the computer. The small monitor above it flashed on and showed Sesshoumaru's personal file. With some more typing he came to a page where he typed some more data to fill in the empty space. Miroku pressed 'Enter' and finished up.

"Alright," he said as he turned to Sesshoumaru, "Your new code is 3758. You will use that to go to and from each base and to log into the computers system. Do you have any questions so far?"

"No." Sesshoumaru answered.

"Okay then, let us proceed back to the main base then." Miroku stated as he turned to walk out of the room.

Miroku waved his farewell to Ty who was still working on the computer terminal. He led Sesshoumaru back down to the walkway and back to the main part of the underwater base. He showed Sesshoumaru to his room, which was next to Kagome's and on the other side, was Nicole's.

"We will be having dinner in about two hours from now, Mr. Takashi. If you'd like, you can join us." With that Miroku left Sesshoumaru to himself.

Sesshoumaru looked around his room. It wasn't much. The walls were the same dull gray as the rest of the base and the bed was barely a full size mattress. The sheets were plain cotton, making Sesshoumaru wish he had brought his own. He did have a small window, but of course, the only sight he had was lighted water. He walked over to a small desk that was home to an even smaller desk light. He turned it on to add some more light to the dimmed room.

As he turned around Sesshoumaru jumped in surprise. Staring at him from the small window was a large black eye. It seemed it was the shark from before when he just arrived at the station. Sesshoumaru looked at the large fish. The large fish looked back at him. This seemed to go on for a few minutes, them just staring at each other. Finally, the shark just moved his large powerful tail and swam forward. 'What is with that shark?' He thought as he returned to start unpacking. This was going to be a long day for him.

It was about two hours later and Sesshoumaru could smell food. He decided to eat since it had been a good three days from his last meal. Sesshoumaru changed his clothes into a pair of dark blue jeans and a fitted black shirt. No point in wearing his dress slacks and shirt to eat in. He rewrapped his tail around his shoulder and proceeded to exit his small room.

He walked down the hall until he came to the main corridor that led him to the mess hall. Even though he was still a good twenty feet from the room, Sesshoumaru could hear laughter and conversation coming from that direction. When he got to the mess hall, he was greeted with silence. It made him uncomfortable to have about forty people stare at him. After a few seconds, everyone started to talk again. Sesshoumaru just narrowed his eyes and walked to the line. When he reached the counter, he noticed that he was not alone. He looked up to meet the dark blue eyes of Kagome. She gave him a heart-stopping smile. Sesshoumaru immediately made sure his mental barrier was in place.

"Good evening, Mr. Takashi. I see you have decided to join us for dinner." Kagome said in a cheery tone. She didn't want to upset the demon anymore than he already was. There encounter earlier was not what she wanted it to be, but she had to admit, he needed to be knocked off of his pedestal.

"Good evening, Ms. Higurashi." Sesshoumaru replied with a cold voice.

Yup, he was still pissed.

Kagome just shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a tray. She slid down the line with it and asked the cook for the food she was eyeing. After she had her dish, Kagome grabbed up her tray and walked to a table that housed Nicole and Ty. She sat down and started to chat with them about mundane things. Out of all who lived on the base, only a select few had the nerve to associate themselves with her, obviously uncomfortable with her telepathic power, and the fact that she was a priestess.

Sesshoumaru seated himself not too far from her. It seemed her table was the only one that held few people. He started to eat his food in a neat manner and looked off to nothing in particular. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru was interrupted from his mindless moment. He looked up at the doorway to see a seething Inuyasha. He seemed to be staring at Kagome with intense anger. The mess hall had once again become silent as they curiously watched the angry Hanyou.

"Damn it to hell, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted from across the room. He was in a pair of faded blue jeans and a red t-shirt. His ears were flattened to his skull as he stomped up to the raven-haired girl.

"Just what the hell is wrong with your fucking sharks anyway!"

Kagome surprised him by bursting up in laughter. "Inuyasha, I am sorry if they scared you. Tom just loves your hair. So every time he sees you, well, he just has to come up to you."

This comment got Ty and Nicole joining in her glee. All this did was make Inuyasha angrier. "He scared the shit out of me! I swear he wants to eat me!"

Inuyasha suddenly noticed a familiar presence in the room. He looked up to meet golden eyes like his own and paled. "I mean…he startled me. I don't like to be caught off guard like that."

Sesshoumaru actually smirked at that. He almost wished he could have seen his face at that moment. Sesshoumaru were sure it was priceless. He would admit one thing about the sharks. They were creepy in their own way. At least he knew why the one was always staring at him. Apparently, he likes silver hair.

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha and patted the seat next to her. He came by and sat down next to the telepath. "We have that piece fixed. I don't know what caused it to be ripped like that. All I could assume was your sharks got bored and decided to munch on the base."

"Tom and Shi did no such thing, Inuyasha. They were in holding tank with me most of the night." Kagome replied. She went back to her food and started to eat. She was going to chastise him for not speaking to his brother, but she knew they never really got along well.

Inuyasha wasn't hungry so he just sat there and patiently waited for the others to finish their food. He looked over to Sesshoumaru and noticed he sat on the far end of the table. "Hey," he said.

Sesshoumaru looked at his brother with a scowl on his face. He really didn't feel like messing with him at the moment. Both brothers hadn't seen one another for about four years. Sesshoumaru could wait a little longer to speak to him.

"Prick." Mumbled Inuyasha. He just couldn't understand why his brother was so isolated. He could understand wanting to be alone at times, but the man just stayed to himself all the time. "Hey, Kagome," he started, "I am going to go on to my room, I will talk to you later, alright?"

"Sure, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha got up, glanced at Sesshoumaru, and left. Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru and gave him a small smile. She really didn't want him to hate her. In her opinion, most of the base didn't like her as it was. Her friends were few and having more would be nice.

Kagome talked to Nicole and Ty some more before excusing herself. "I have to be going. I need to check up on my babies."

"Two sharks will only be known as 'babies' to you Kagome," Nicole said as she moved to take her tray to the drop-off area, "I am going to go have a smoke. I will see you all later."

Ty soon followed Nicole and the table was now bare except for Sesshoumaru, who was still picking at his food.

Kagome walked down the corridor that led to the catwalk. As she stepped onto the narrow walkway, two large Great Whites swam on each side of it. Kagome smiled at them. They never judge her. That was why they were her babies…her friends. Even the few friends she had on the base were uneasy of Kagome when they first met her. She was never one to keep her abilities a secret. She did that once when she was young and that resorted in chaos. Kagome even lost the trust of her parents. That was a particularly hard thing on a young twelve-year-old girl.

Kagome reached the other side of the catwalk and typed in her code. She walked threw and made her way to the large lab that held the Water Room. As she reached the door, Kagome typed her code in one more time and entered the large glass room. Instead of walking to the glass area, Kagome went to the large pool that disappeared at the wall. She took off her jean jacket and unzipped the back of her dress. The white fabric pooled at her feet, making a soft rustling sound as it hit the metal floor. She stepped out in only a simple two-peace swimsuit. The material was black and gave her a dark appearance compared to the white that made her look innocent.

Kagome walked to the edge of the pool and jumped in. The cold salt water chilled her at first, but she quickly situated herself to it. It wasn't long before two dark gray sharks, with white bellies, swam up to her. Kagome smiled and rose to the surface to get a breath of air. The large fish slowed down and rubbed their large bodies against hers. She giggled at the gentleness of them. Sometimes they reminded her of cats.

'**_Gome…come to play with us?'_** Shi mentally asked in a low child like voice. The shark turned her body so she could see the small woman with her black eyes.

'**_Yes, Shi. But first I must check you guys over to make sure you are healthy. Did either of you cut or scrap yourselves today?' _**Kagome questioned in her mind while rubbing her hands along one side of Shi.

'**_No, Gome. No pain today. We played! Man with silver hair came out with the nice woman and we played with him.' _**Tom replied in a lower voice.

Kagome giggled as she moved to the other side of Shi to continue her inspection. **_'Yes, Tom. You told me about playing with him earlier.' _**

Kagome finished looking at Shi and turned her attention to Tom. The male was two feet longer then Shi, making him a good twenty feet. He was larger in girth as well and Kagome would always have to go under the water to inspect his belly.

'**_Did you guys see anything strange last night?' _**She questioned them. She couldn't understand how the panel on the base got tore like that. The sharks never messed with the base before.

'**_No, boring because no one was up to play.'_** Shi answered back. Kagome was sure if the large creature could pout, she would of.

Kagome finished her look over and swam out in front of them. **_'Okay! Lets go swim!'_**

Kagome heard the mental cheers of both sharks, and with a smile, pushed herself forward. There was a high enough clearance for her head to remain above the water as she swam under the walls that separated the rooms. She grabbed on to Tom's dorsal fine as he swam past her and pulled her along. She loved the feeling of it. Kagome almost felt like she was flying, but under the water instead of the sky.

As the shark pulled Kagome along, she was not aware of a pair of golden eyes watching her. She just let herself glide threw the water without a care in the world.

Sesshoumaru walked down the corridor before the main hall so he could return to his room. He wasn't tired and couldn't do anything until tomorrow. Miroku promised to start his briefing of the Shikon Effect. They had already gotten it underway. They just needed to do the fine touches on it. Miroku also mentioned the need for a way to reverse it. They still didn't have a reversal to the deadly poison.

Sesshoumaru took his t-shirt off and just left his jeans on. He was about to sit down on his bed to relax, when a dark shadow passed his window. He figured it was the sharks and went to the glass to look at them. What he didn't expect was to see Kagome being pulled by one of them and the other swimming ahead of them. He looked at Kagome while they swam by and couldn't help but notice her body. He would admit to himself that she had a nice figure. Her hips were rounded and her breasts were a nice size. She had long legs and he could tell her body was well toned. He noticed her hair looked like a silky black mass that rippled in the water like fish do in a large school.

She was beautiful…for a human.

Soon they were out of his sight and he turned to sit on his bed. The woman was an enigma to him. He would admit that. Kagome peaked his curiosity like no other. Never in his long years had he met someone like her. He hardly even knew Kagome, but she still managed to make him wander about her. He would learn more about her in due time. Sesshoumaru had to work side by side with her. It would be inevitable.

Sesshoumaru leaned back in his bed and crossed his arms behind his head. He hoped tomorrow would come soon. Today had proved to be boring and he wanted to start working on what he came here for. For some reason, he felt that this was going to be an eventful two years.


	3. Chapter 3

In Under Deep

A.N. Here is chapter three! I know, I know. I have gotten some appreciative reviews on this. A lot of people seem to like it. I guess my Sci-fi side isn't too weird for you all. I am good at writing porn, but as you see, I can have an over imaginative side to my brain. I have always been like that. I just try to put the weird with realistic. I really try to get a real life point to my characters. I will never write anything that makes it look only in Anime. Don't get me wrong! I love Anime. I'm a big kid. I even like Hentai. If you can believe the shit I have seen! I am just ashamed I didn't think of it first. Well, enjoy! And remember. I like reviews! Please! I will do things for you if you review! Anything!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha……or Sesshoumaru…..or Kagome……or anyone else, but I do own my sexy Ty, my fun Nicole, any of the other OC ones I name, and my two lovely sharks, Tom and Shi.

Kagome walked out of the shower rooms, drying her hair. She was only wearing a towel around her body and a smaller one, now up in her hair, as a turban. The main shower rooms were only a couple of doors down from her room. She had no worry about anyone seeing her. In her few years here, she knew when people slept. She could also feel who was awake and not.

Kagome loved the night best. Although some of the members on the base had an ability to put up mind barriers, most could not. It was up to Kagome to keep them out of her head. She remembered a time when doing such a task was almost impossible. Kagome was admitted to an asylum for about four years in her early teens. She tried to commit suicide. She wasn't very proud of this fact. It haunted her for a long time. To be locked in a facility for that many years with mentally ill individuals didn't help her at first. They crowded her mind and she could hardly think for herself.

She remembered how they had to keep her drugged the first year. They walked in one day to see her pounding her head against the wall. Kagome almost cracked her head open. There was blood everywhere. One day a new doctor came to her. It seemed she was a special case. One that needed special attention. Dr. Watson was his name. He had the ability of telepathy as well. Within three months of working with Kagome, he started to make some lead way. Dr. Watson helped Kagome slowly become more dependent on herself to block out the 'outside noise,' he liked to call it. He taught her a form of mind barriers so, she to, could keep the noise out.

It took two more years until Kagome could finally stay off of the sedatives. On the fourth year, she was finally clinically stable enough to go back out into the world. The bad thing were her parents, they didn't seem to comfortable around her. This brought a whole new form of hell. She was now seventeen and her parents didn't want anything to do with her. They loved her brother, Souta, but they didn't want her. No, no one wanted Kagome. She was a freak, not natural, someone that could read your mind.

Kagome shook her head at the memories. She also realized she was standing in the hallway, naked except for a towel. Thankful for it being late at night, Kagome started walking to her room. She opened the door and walked in. when she got inside, Kagome put on a pair of short-shorts and a tight fitting white tank top. She walked over to the window in her room. This was the only room that had a large window in it. It being done this way so she could really watch her sharks if they swam into the containment area.

Kagome looked out into the lighted water. Sometimes she wished she were a shark, or maybe a dolphin. Then she could swim in the sea and not worry about having to keep noise out of her head or if anyone liked her or not. Most of the time, Kagome would put on an air about herself of not caring. She really did care. Kagome wanted love just like anyone else, she wanted friends, and most of all, she wanted quiet.

She lifted a hand until it came into her sight. She relaxed her body and focused energy into her hand. It started to glow a light neon blue, almost pretty if you liked that kind of weird stuff. Her parents loved her when she inherited her priestess powers. Why couldn't they love her with her telepathy? You would think growing up in Florida would make a difference. America was supposed to be more open in society, not have so many bias. Kagome's grandparents came over to America when her mother was just five. They started a business and it worked for the small family. Her mother met a nice American man and the two of them got married shortly after. Kagome's dad was pretty cool. He worked as a real-estate agent and made a lot of money. They lived quite well. Kagome started realizing her priestess powers when she was ten. Shortly after, when she turned twelve, she started developing telepathy.

She didn't tell anyone at first. Too scared at how they were going to react to such a thing. Her abilities were not common and most people were not very comfortable around individuals with the ability to 'dig' in ones head. Kagome had to let her parents know when she turned fourteen. She was trying to slice her forearm open with her mother's six inch Chefs knife.

Kagome only made it halfway down when she heard the door to her room open, revealing a horrified mother. What really bothered Kagome the most was the thoughts that ran through her head. All the thoughts of disappointment and fear. Kagome smirked to herself. Most of her mother's thoughts were disappointment. She only had a small amount of fear.

Kagome walked over to her bed. She flopped back down on it and laid over on her said, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. 'Just once….,' she thought, 'just once I want to make people not fear me, to like me…' Kagome closed her eyes and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Sesshoumaru woke up and looked over at his clock. It displayed five in the morning. He was disappointed. He finally went to sleep at one to only sleep four hours. What kind of hell he lived was beyond him. The demon only slept four hours a week. He needed more sleep. Sesshoumaru got up and walked to the shower room. He was disgusted about having to share a bathing room with humans.

He walked into the room and smelled the light scent of lavender and vanilla. He could also feel the slight humidity of hot water. 'Someone has been bathing here…not to long ago either….' Sesshoumaru walked around main wall that separated the two shower areas designated for women and men. In the women's side, there was water standing in the far side of a long line of shower heads. The smell was strongest here and he actually took a big sniff, realizing he enjoyed the smell. 'Kagome…,' he remembered the smell of her. He also remembered her graceful swimming as she frolicked with her two unusual companions.

Sesshoumaru walked back to the other side. He turned on the showerhead and started to bath himself. Large amounts of soap suds were running down his toned body as he scrubbed himself down. He made sure to wash his tail, that alone was a large task. He let his mind wonder as to why he came here in the first place. He received a letter from the American Government asking if he would like to help with a new development in war technology. Normally Sesshoumaru wouldn't give them a second thought, but as he read the letter, he realized he could really accomplish such a challenge. Sesshoumaru was not a man to back down from a challenge. He wrote back and soon he was over in America talking with 'Government Heads' about this new war device they were talking about. He majored in Biology and Nuclear Science. From what he learned, this was a nasty chemical poison that would destroy any or all who touched it. It would kill the wild life as well. This disturbed him some. Is there any way to stop such a thing? Well, that was what he was here for. To make an anti-agent that will kill the affects of it, to stop it from destroying all the worlds water supply. Miroku and Kagome were the one's to develop it. From what he had heard of the rumors, Kagome didn't want to make such a thing. She was a priestess and she loved all life. He could understand her nature. Sesshoumaru was a demon, they were bent on becoming stronger and it that meant creating a deadly chemical, so be it. But even he had to admit, it would be nice to have something to reverse the affects.

Sesshoumaru rinsed off his body and tail, then he put his head under the steaming water. He soaked his hair and made sure it was totally drenched before putting shampoo in it. He lathered his head and worked his way down the long length, making sure all of it soaped to his liking. Sesshoumaru put his head back under the water and closed his eyes. He leaned forward and rested his hands against the wall, allowing the water to rinse his hair and not help it. His mind started to wander again. He thought about how working with Kagome was going to be like.

Sesshoumaru was pissed about how she invaded his mind. He was pissed that Miroku didn't even warn him. He couldn't understand why the Government didn't warn him about there being a empath on board. The whole situation just pissed him off to no ends. He would admit one thing, Kagome was starting to be put in the category of 'enigmas'. He wanted to learn more about her because he hated being confused and also hated not knowing about things. Sesshoumaru knew nothing about telepathy. He had not encountered one in over two hundred years. Back then they didn't know as much as they know now. He never really bothered picking up a book to read on them. Now he wished he had.

Sesshoumaru realized the soap was out of his hair and the water was starting to cool down. A smirk formed on his face over the fact he just used most of the hot water. He would secretly enjoy hearing the others complain about it. Shutting off the water, Sesshoumaru grabbed his towel and started to dry off. His tail always took more time to dry. Sesshoumaru would have to groom it when he went back into his room. He looked at the clothes he stripped from and picked them up. He would have to have his clothes washed. He refused to wear anything twice even if it didn't need cleaning. He wrapped his towel around his waist and exited the shower room.

Sesshoumaru quietly padded his way back to his room and entered it. He put on a pair of black slacks and a white polo shirt. He brushed his hair and put it in a low pony tail. He then maneuvered his tail so he could brush it. This took more time then he wanted, but it was a necessary evil. When he was done with that, Sesshoumaru wrapped it around his shoulder and proceeded out of his door. It was now seven in the morning. He could hear people getting ready for the day.

He walked down the hall until he came to the mess hall. He could smell what they were cooking all the way from his room. One thing really smelled good. Sesshoumaru decided to check it out. He wasn't very hungry. He ate last night, but he figured to go ahead and eat now. Sesshoumaru knew he would have a long day with researching and learning what they had already done with the Shikon Effect.

Sesshoumaru walked up to the counter. He looked over at the first set of food sitting out. There was nine choices to pick from on this part of the setting. He looked upon; bacon, eggs, sausage, and other different 'Human' choices. He quickly looked down the line until he came to a different setting. On this side, he noted, was demon food. He scooted down the line until he was in front of second setting. There was a glass separating him so he couldn't just help himself. He looked up and noticed a demon approaching him from a set of swinging white doors. Sesshoumaru assumed that was where the kitchen resided.

"Ah, Mr. Takashi," he greeted in a low southern accent, "what ya hav'n?"

Sesshoumaru eyed the shorter demon standing in front of him. He had a black bandana on that covered most of his dark green hair. He had a black apron on over a black chefs coat and black pants to go with it. He wore no strips and had dark green eyes to match his hair. The only thing irritating about him was his accent. It was heavy and defiantly suffered in proper etiquette.

"I will have this," Sesshoumaru said pointing at some raw looking meat, "then I will have some of the fruit at the end."

The demon chef scooped some of the meat into a plate and then moved over to grab the fruit bowel on the end. When he was done, he handed everything to Sesshoumaru, who only nodded his head in thanks before taking his leave. He walked over to the table he sat at before. He noted that no one else had arrived yet. He give a small shrug and started to eat.

Her smell came to him before her actual form did. Kagome walked into the Mess Hall and her appearance reminded him of a sick fish that had developed some kind of disease. She was clean and had a pretty black shirt on with a flowing brown and black skirt that met her ankles. The material flowed behind her with every step she took. If it had not been for her slumped shoulders and the king-size bags under her eyes, Sesshoumaru would have thought her beautiful. But this was not to be. He could tell she had little to no sleep.

A human walked out of the swinging doors and walked up to the line. He looked to be of African decent, but when he spoke, Sesshoumaru knew he was as Cajun as they came.

"Hey, Cherie," he spoke as he looked at Kagome, "you look like someone drug you to hell and back."

Kagome looked up at him and gave a soft smile. She knew the man only meant good, but the truth hurt. She looked in the mirror this morning, she knew she looked like shit. "You could say that, Richie."

Richie looked at her with a sympathetic eye. He knew she had a hard time sleeping, with all the noise in her head. "What will it be this morning."

"Just give me some toast, Richie," she tiredly replied.

"Now, come on Cherie, you know ya need more then that," he softly chastised. The girl just didn't eat enough.

"I don't think I can stomach it right now, Richie. Maybe later, okay?"

Richie nodded and handed her a plate with two pieces of toast on it. She took it with a 'thank you' and slid down the line to get some coffee. Kagome needed the coffee. Her head was hurting badly and her sleepiness was not going away as fast as she wanted. Kagome slowly made her way to the table she normally resided at and noticed Sesshoumaru sitting down at the other end. She looked about and noticed all the bare seats. No one else had arrived yet.

Kagome placed her try at the middle of the table, right where she sat last night. She unrolled her silverware and put some butter on her toast with the knife. Her eating was slow and almost looked forced. After a few bits, she would take a sip of her coffee. Sesshoumaru noticed she drank it black. 'Must want like it strong,' he thought.

"You do not look well this morning, Ms. Higurashi." Came a cool voice.

Kagome's surprise must have shown on her face because Sesshoumaru just raised a questioning eyebrow at her when she gaped at him. Making her mouth shut, she replied back. "Not all of us look like Gods when we awake."

Sesshoumaru frowned at her. He wasn't expecting a cutting reply, but he wouldn't blame her for it either. He was rather harsh to her the other day. He watched as she simply returned back to her small meal and ignored him the rest of the time.

Some people walked in to the Mess Hall. One was grumbling to the other. "Man, who used all the damn hot water. I hate having to take cool showers."

Sesshoumaru allowed a small smirk to form on his face as he took a bit of fruit.

Miroku walked beside Sesshoumaru. He was explaining what the Shikon Effect is and what they have accomplished so far.

"We need to come up with the anti-poison. If we do this, we will be able to stop the process immediately." Miroku said as they walked across the catwalk.

"Have you come across anything remotely close to it?" inquired Sesshoumaru.

"Well,..," Miroku hesitated. He really didn't want to tell Sesshoumaru this. They did have one way. They just cant bottle it. "We do have one way that has worked every time."

Sesshoumaru looked at him expectantly. When it looked like he wasn't going to continue, Sesshoumaru encouraged him. "Yes?"

Miroku rolled his eyes in a frustrated manner. Kagome was going to be pissed. It was a mistake to begin with. Well, more like an accident. "Kagome can purify it."

Sesshoumaru looked at him from the corner of his eyes, then focused back to the narrow path in front of him. He found this quite interesting. "She will need to demonstrate this for me."

He could hear Miroku sigh and a small part of him wondered way. 'Perhaps she doesn't like to do such things,' he wondered.

They finally approached the door and Sesshoumaru punched his new code in. They both entered and continued on there way until they entered the main lab. There wasn't as many scientists present. Sesshoumaru was silently grateful for this. That meant not so many different smells. Sesshoumaru hated having to overly concentrate on deciphering different smells. Humans tended to smell stronger than demons, thus causing more concentration. He would admit to himself not all humans smelled bad. Just some of them. That was all it took, one smelly human to make him grumpy. He just didn't feel like being more of a grump than normal.

As they walked further into the lab, a shaking rear and bobbing large brown wings caught his eye. Sesshoumaru looked over at Miroku with a raised brow, only to find the perverted man following the shaking derriere with lustful eyes. Sesshoumaru found it hard pressed to not roll his eyes. He turned back to the dancing dragon to see her wearing headphones and a CD player stuffed in the back of her low rise jeans. She was wearing a tank top again. He found that amusing when everyone else here wore lab coats and gloves. She never seemed to wear gloves either.

Nicole was in her own world. Letting her body move to the music she was listening to. She lifted a flask up and started to pour some measured fluid into another flask and did it all without missing a beat. She noticed someone coming in the lab behind her, but recognized the presence. The scent of cedar informed her one was Miroku and the sage told her he was with Sesshoumaru. Nicole never had shame. She did as she pleased and as long as she did her job, no one complained. So that meant she was going to dance and dress as she liked. It wasn't like she ware a lab coat with big leather wings.

"Nicole," Miroku spoke up first. He stretched one of his hands forward to grab her shoulder, but it started lowering to her firm rear instead.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Miroku." Nicole warned as she turned her constantly swirling eyes to him. She displayed a mischievous smirk on her face as she gave a quick glance to the tall dog demon beside her. "I used to eat humans from time to time when I was younger. They left a bad taste in my mouth, but when you had to defend yourself from knights," she gave an uncaring shrug before continuing on, "you just did what you had to in order to survive." Nicole added to her small threat by letting her forked, slender tongue flick across her lower lips. The display would have been erotic if not for the underlining meaning of being edible.

Sesshoumaru had to smirk at that. It was funny. Miroku just scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner before deciding to change the subject. "Is Kagome here?" He brought out in a nervous rush.

Nicole decided to play her game to hilt. "Yes, she is here. More than likely in the Water Room." She replied with a lopsided grin. It caused one of her upper fangs to poke out and she let her tongue run over it in a slow suggesting way.

"Umm…Thanks," he bit out really fast before walking by her in a quickened pace.

Sesshoumaru nodded his head in greeting before following the shaken man. Nicole mocked his move and turned back to her work. She really loved messing with Miroku. The man was just too fun.

Miroku walked up to the door and punched in his code. The device flashed, giving the go-a-head and he opened the door. They both walked inside and found nothing in the room. Miroku scanned about him and noticed a black shirt and a black and brown skirt laying discarded beside the foot of the deep pool.

"Kagome is with the sharks," Miroku simply said.

Sesshoumaru looked at the clothes and in the back of his stoic mind, a small voice wondered if she were naked. He quickly squashed the thought with the more rational side. No way was he going to let a HUMAN female interest him.

"I am going to go and check on some stuff, Sesshoumaru. Could you please wait here for Kagome to return?" Miroku never gave him a chance to consent to the task or not. He quickly left out the door and it slid shut behind his retreating form.

Sesshoumaru scowled at door. If he could will it, Miroku would be dead by now. He turned back towards the pool. He walked up to the pile of clothes and moved to the side of them. Now standing at the edge of the pool, Sesshoumaru looked down into the depths of it. The water was still. 'She must be quite far from this area.'

Sesshoumaru looked around the place and found it just as boring as it was when he went in the other day. Deciding to just be patient, he walked to the glass part of the room and looked out into the ocean. Again, due to it being dark, there was not much to look at. Occasionally a deep water fish would swim by, but after that, there wasn't much to see. He didn't have to wait for long. Soon Sesshoumaru heard something stirring the water. He casually walked to the surface area and peered down into the greenish-blue water to see two very large fish and a woman in a black one piece swimsuit.

Kagome broke the surface and took a much needed breath. She opened her eyes to see a tall figure with two golden eyes staring at her. Kagome started at first then she got her bearings and griped the edge to pull herself up. It didn't surprise her that Sesshoumaru didn't offer her a hand up. She turned her body so she could sit on the edge and left her legs to dangle in the water. Shi came up and bumped into her legs, causing a giggle to emerge from Kagome.

"They can stay still."

The voice startled her again but she immediately answered back. "Yes, they can. Most sharks would suffocate if they stopped moving."

"What other abilities do these fish have?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"They have skin of a dolphin, and the mind of one to." She simply replied.

"How is that possible?" Sesshoumaru wanted to know. He had never seen this kind of behavior from sharks.

Kagome looked at him with a bored face. She didn't really like him, but she wouldn't start any kind of fights with him. She did have to work with him for the next two years. "Well, despite them having mixed genes, we also enhanced their physical forms. That is how they are so large for their age."

Sesshoumaru nodded. He understood a little more about them now. It seemed they were the ultimate killing machines. They could be trained, grew to a large size, and held altered abilities to help them become more sufficient. They were freaks of nature.

Kagome looked up at him to try to read his expression because his thoughts were blocked by his barrier. She discovered that doing this task was like trying to get into his brain. Impossible. The demon had perfect ability over his facial features. Such a shame really. Sesshoumaru looked beautiful now. What would he look like if he smiled? Kagome could only imagine him resembling a God then.

"Touch them." Kagome said.

Sesshoumaru lowered his eyes to hers and them moved them to the waiting sharks. The part that respected the creatures said no. The part that held his ego, a large part it was, told him to not be afraid of them.

"Your not afraid of them are you?" Kagome asked with a small amount of sarcasm to her voice. If he was like Inuyasha in any way. He would refuse. She had a feeling the two brothers had more in common then just the same father. She knew they both had huge egos. That fact was no secret. But did they hold the same fear of sharks? That was the question of the day.

Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome with a small heated glare, then moved back to look at the tops of the large grayish-blue heads of the two sharks. "This Sesshoumaru fears nothing." With that said, he kneeled down in front of them and slowly reached his clawed hand out. He touched the closest one to him, which he guessed was Tom, and rubbed the pads of his fingers over the sharks nose. Kagome was right. They did have a rubbery feel to them. The only difference between the two were dolphins tended to have a more spongy feel. This shark had more of a hard rubber texture to his skin. The kind of texture that reminded him of a tire.

Tom enjoyed the rubbing he was getting and started to roll on to his side. Soon Sesshoumaru was greeted with large sharp teeth and a big black eye. It startled him, causing him to pull his hand back quickly to his body. His mood quickly turned to anger when he heard Kagome start to laugh.

"Don't worry Sesshoumaru," Kagome said between giggles, "they will not bit you."

Sesshoumaru got up and rubbed imaginary wrinkles out of his clothing. He turned to her with narrowed eyes. "Get dressed. Miroku wants to go over what you two have done so far with the Shikon Effect."

Kagome smirked and got up to get dressed. She grabbed her shirt and put it on. She repeated the possess again only this time, it was with her skirt. As she bent over to slid her feet into the opening, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but look at her rear. He noted the firmness and how her long legs held muscle tone. Most likely from swimming. He quickly turned his eyes away when she turned around.

"Well, I'm ready. Lets go." Kagome said with a cheery smile.

Both exited the room and found Nicole still swaying to music. Sesshoumaru was a little impressed that she could work around chemicals and not spill any on her skin.

"Oh Shit." Nicole softly swore.

'Well, so much for grace on her part,' he thought as he watched the dragon walk over to a sink and just rinse her skin off. He noted Nicole didn't even wash her skin of the chemicals, just let the water run over it for a few seconds before shutting it off and returning to her work. 'Does she not feel that?' he wondered. He noticed the chemical she spilt on her skin was an acid. Even he would have felt a sting at least.

"Nicole," Kagome spoke up in a light fussing tone, "I don't care how tough your skin is. Be more careful."

"Don't worry about me, Kagome. I will be just fine." Nicole replied as she concentrated on measuring the right amount.

Kagome just shook her head at her friend and walked off when spotting Miroku at the other end of lab. He was setting up a testing area and had a small sample of the Shikon Effect in a tiny flask. He turned to see Sesshoumaru and Kagome walking toward them and noted the height difference between them. Sesshoumaru made Kagome look so small it appeared like she could disappear. He smirked at his own thinking and turned back to the small five gallon tank he had in front of him. In the tank was a single goldfish. It swam around with not a care in the world.

Kagome noticed this and couldn't help but make a disapproving face. She hated this, but it was unfortunately, in the name of science and it must be done. This small action on Kagome's part didn't go unnoticed by Sesshoumaru. He wondered why she would do such a thing, then he noticed the goldfish. Only an idiot wouldn't understand why she didn't want to see this. They would have to kill the goldfish.

"All right, Mr. Takashi. This is how the Shikon Effect works." Miroku put on some heavy rubbers gloves and grabbed the flask. He held it over the tank and allowed only two drops to fall into the water. What happened next amused Sesshoumaru. Never had he seen such a reaction as he had seen in this water.

The blackish-purple color spread in the water at a slow but effective rate. It started at the end it entered and had a smoky appearance to it as it spread in the water. As it neared the fish, he noticed the small creature starting to swim frantically, trying to get away from spreading poison. Soon the area in where the fish resided in became a light purple and Sesshoumaru watched, in fascination, as the fish started to lose scales and a small amount of blood started to leak from its gills.

Suddenly, Kagome started to shake. Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment and studied how she broke out in a cold sweat and her shaking almost became violent. She started to waver and he moved to help steady her when Sesshoumaru stepped back from her. Kagome started to glow a bright blue and her eyes became even brighter as they bled a glowing dark blue. She shot her hand out into the water. As soon as she touched the dark water, it started to become clear again. Kagome had purified the Shikon Effect. Sesshoumaru even noticed the fish totally healed, swimming happily around in the now clean water.

Kagome slid to the floor before anyone noticed and rested back on her knees. Miroku was instantly by her side. "I'm so sorry, Kagome," he softly told her as he pulled her into a friendly, but comforting embrace, " I had to show him what you could do."

Kagome hated this part. It took a lot out of her to purify the water and heal the dying fish. But the screams in her head was just too much and she had to do something. Kagome just nodded her head and rose with the help of Miroku.

"I need to go eat, Miroku." She said and slowly walked out of the lab.

Sesshoumaru watched her leave and turned back to Miroku. "Why is she so exhausted?"

"Kagome uses a lot of her power to clean the water. This is why we need to come up with an anti-poison. We cant bottle her purification." Miroku replied.

Sesshoumaru nodded his understanding and looked at the goldfish as it swam around in the tank. "How long did it take to come up with this?" He asked.

"Two years," was Sesshoumaru's simple reply. He now knew it would take just as long to get the anti-poison and to make that time shorter, he will have to work long and hard.


	4. Chapter 4

In Under Deep

A.N. I have found people actually like this! Yay! It makes me happy to know that someone likes my more imaginative side. This is my first one that isn't a plane human, modern day. I really like it. I will let you all know my inspiration in making this story. I have had some reviewers ask, so here it is. It is a cross between, Deep Blue Sea (were I got my genetically altered sharks), Sea Quest (My telepath idea and how the sharks think with a child like mind, also on how I based Ty, my serpent demon), and last but not least, The Abyss (where I got my base idea and the location of it). I have found some people don't remember Sea Quest. If you can read about it, you will love it. I watched that show until it finally stopped being aired on TV. I miss it some times. Well, here is chapter four. I hope you all enjoy it. Remember to review! The more you review, the more I am inspired to write!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own them. Just my own characters. I have a feeling you will really like Ty and Nicole. I already know a lot of you love Tom and Shi.

Sesshoumaru opened up his eyes. He looked at the dark gray metal ceiling of his small room. He moved his eyes over at his digital calendar/clock and looked at the date. It has been three months. He had been working on this damn project for three months now. Why was he not getting anywhere with it? It wasn't like he hadn't tried. He knew Miroku and Kagome had worked on Shikon Effect for two years before they got the chemical weapon to work. Now it was up to him to work with the Kagome so the US Government could reverse the affect. That is if they ever needed such a godforsaken weapon. The more he found out about the Shikon Effect, the more he hoped they didn't. Couldn't they just have them breed more freak sharks? That would suit him just fine. As long as they stayed away from him.

Sesshoumaru could smell the food coming from the hall. The doors just couldn't keep the smells out of his room. The food wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was Nicole's smoking. He had grown to respect the dragon. She was definitely one of a kind to him. What ever British tendencies she had was long gone and replaced with a brash American attitude. He also noticed that Ty was quite taken with the dragon. The two were obvious lovers. Only a fool couldn't see that. He was just thankful the two had sex in Ty's room instead of hers. He would have to put his foot down with that. Her menthol cigarettes was enough for him.

He had come to respect Kagome as well. He understood why Inuyasha befriended her. He acted like her big brother. Always protecting her honor when someone decided to make a comment about her that wasn't nice. He could understand why he felt the way he did. She had come to grow on him some too. Sesshoumaru would never let anyone know this, but she was a very bright woman and never tried to invade his privacy. Working with her wasn't as bad as he first thought it would be. She had a nice smell and her telepathy was interesting. She held no discrimination either. Kagome treated everyone the same. The only thing she wanted was the same treatment back. The unfortunate thing was not everyone gave her the same respect. She was feared to much. Sesshoumaru liked the solitude, but Kagome thrived on friendship. She needed the love of everything to live. The way she looked and the way she acted made one think she had plenty of friends. This was not true. He found out how the others on the base treated her. Only a select few were her friends, everyone else feared her.

Sesshoumaru got out of his bed and walked over to his dresser. He bathed last night, so he only needed to dress. His clothing had changed some. He only wore jeans and a T-shirt now. The thought tickled him some. He never wore such things before, but being around this bunch seemed to change that. Everyone was laid back and he seemed to catch the bug' and became the same. He stuck his tale through the hole in the jeans and fastened them. He was about to slip on his top when he heard a knock at his door. He walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in front of him was a very smug dragon. She had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and light gray smoke trailed up from the end of it. She peered up at him from under her long shaggy bangs with a mischievous look on her face. In her left hand was a piece of paper. The other was resting on her hip. She was wearing her signature low-rise jeans and tank top. Nicole suddenly stuck her hand out in front of her that held the piece of paper.

"Here," she said, indicating the paper, "This is to Kagome's birthday party."

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant eyebrow up and eyed the offending the piece of paper. "What makes you think I will go to it?"

Nicole frowned her brows at the tall demon before her and took a big drag of her cigarette. She allowed the smoke to exit through her nose, making her look even more like the dragon breed she was. "Kagome, for some reason, likes you. It would make her day if you showed up. If just for a few minutes at least. You work with the girl. At least humor her for a few minutes."

"I am sure I will not be the only one attending. She will have other people there." Sesshoumaru grabbed the paper anyway and looked at the front. It had balloons on the front and it showed when the party would take place. "In the lab?"

"Well, yeah," Nicole had this look as if he were dumb. He hated it when she looked at him like that.

"I will see if I can humor' her for a few minutes." With that, he turned and closed the door in her face.

Nicole looked at the door and allowed a long stream of smoke to blow out on the metal fixture. She knew he could smell it, even in his room. Proud jerk,' she thought. Nicole turned and walked back into her room. She grabbed her smokes and some more flyers. She walked back out of her room and walked down the hall. Every few meters she would post a flyer. Maybe, just maybe this year, Kagome will have some more people attend,' Nicole thought to herself. She knew Kagome deserved this. Even if she did get mad at her for posting the flyers.

Kagome stormed into the Mess Hall with anger fuming off of her body. She was pissed. She grabbed her tray with force and told Richie what she wanted. He wished her a happy birthday and was met with anger. He knew why she was mad to. Kagome hated her birthday. It pissed her off to no end that Nicole and some of her other friends would post flyers about it. It never changes. No one ever came. Only the few would come and that was it. She could see it now. All the people who worked beside her laughing as they pass her flyer. Who wants to go to a freak's birthday party,' she fumed to herself.

She grabbed her coffee and took her try to her table. Inuyasha and the others were there. All talking and cutting up. What surprised her was who sat at the end of the table. Sesshoumaru hadn't come to eat in three days. She always met up with him in the lab. Sesshoumaru treated her with some respect. She wouldn't call it like,' but at least he treated her fairly. Kagome walked to her seat and got comfortable in it. She ate her food in silence as her few friends stopped and looked at her. They had smiles on there faces and, to Kagome, they looked fake and put on.

Sango looked at her from her place by Miroku. She picked up a warped package and put it down in front of her. "Here Kagome," Sango slide the pink package over more so it could be reached easily by Kagome.

Kagome's look softened some when she eyed the small package. She could never really stay mad at her friends. They were only trying to do nice. She was thankful for one thing. Kagome had good friends. She reached forward and put a small smile on her face. She grabbed the small package and brought it back to her. It was about the size of a baseball, she guessed, and it had a small pink bow on it. She looked up at Sango and her smile widened some. Nope, she could never stay mad at them.

"Well, open it all ready." Inuyasha impatiently rushed.

"Okay!" Kagome fussed.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the group of seven. He watched as her aura cooled down while she held the small package in her hands. He wondered when any of them had time to go out and get her anything. Most of the time they all worked. Inuyasha mostly worked with Sango on the outside of the base. The both of them were Techs so they fixed the outer problems, should they arise. Miroku was one of the scientists, Nicole as well. Shippo, having only met once, worked in the loading area. He might of found time to go out. Ty worked as the main computer specialist. He worked most the time as well. Sesshoumaru's attention was diverted back to excited group.

Kagome opened up the paper with carefulness, not wanting to mess the pretty wrapper up. A cardboard box was reviled to her. She pulled the top off of the box and inside was a smaller velvet box. Her eyes lit up with curiosity. She looked around her and all of her friends just encouraged her to open it up. Kagome picked the box out of the first one and opened it. Her eyes brightened when she saw the set of earrings. They were gold sharks with a diamond for the eyes. The shark appeared to be turning in a tight circle, allowing them to appear as an uneven U.' Kagome thought they were beautiful.

"Ooo..guys this is so beautiful!" She said with a watery smile. Tears were coming to her eyes. No one had ever given her jewelry before.

"We all pitched our money together to get them for you. Inuyasha said you would like them, so it was his idea. We just went along." Shippo said as he beamed at her with dark green eyes. His tail swished happily around while he watched his friend admire the earrings.

"They must have coasted you a lot of money to do that. I wish you didn't buy me something so expensive." Kagome fussed as she put them on her ears.

"Well, its about damn time you finally wear some jewelry. Maybe you'll look more like a girl now." Inuyasha said teasingly as he crossed his arms over his chest and put a small smirk on his face.

Kagome reached up and tugged lightly on Inuyasha's ear, earning some giggles from her fellow friends and a growl from Inuyasha. With Kagome's earlier anger forgotten, she thought that maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all. She looked down at the end of the table to see Sesshoumaru looking at her earrings. She put on a bright smile when he directed his attention to her. Sesshoumaru didn't smile back, but inclined his head some as a greeting before going back to eating his food. He was a very attractive male and Kagome had grown to like him. What small conversations they had was mainly about work. They would both work on equations as they tried new things to offset the chemical poison. Any other type of conversation with the demon was almost impossible to start. Inuyasha said that he was just a quiet man. Wanting his solitude. Kagome was solitude most of the time. She hated it. How could he like being lonely? At least she had her friends. They were all she had and she wouldn't give them up for the world.

They all chatted some more before finally finishing their food and going to their rightful places on the base. Sesshoumaru was the last one left at the table.

Kagome was working on a chemical while standing beside Nicole. The dragon was swaying her hips and bobbing her wings again while listening to her CD. Sesshoumaru stood on the other side of the lab table while working on some more equations that might work on disabling the nasty Shikon Effect.

"Shit," Nicole softly swore. She was not having a good day. Every base that Kagome would give to her would have an opposite effect to what she was trying to achieve. She dumped the mess down in a special sink and went back to what she was doing. Maybe she could get a different result if she added a smaller amount?

Sesshoumaru watched the peeved dragon and allowed himself to roll his eyes. He wondered if Nicole could say anything more intelligent besides shit' when she messed up. He looked back at his work at hand and started to erase some of what he wrote down, knowing that this one formula wouldn't work. It is a long and painfully tedious process, but he would one day crack it. Or he hopped he would. It was just so hard to keep his cool when you work day in and day out on something that refused to cooperate with you. Sesshoumaru had a lot of patience, but when it came to this anti-agent, his patience was running thin.

Kagome looked at base in front of her. The same base she has been working on, but now she would add something different to it. Maybe a different acid or another base. They had been working this day for about a good five hours. She skipped lunch and was now regretting it. All this work and no food was getting the best of her. She started to sport bags under her eyes from all of the eyestrain and she could feel fatigue coming on. What a way to spend her birthday. All stressed out on some stupid anti-agent that could counter affect a chemical. A chemical that she helped create. That never slept well with her, but she did work for the US Government and that was what she got paid the big bucks for.

Kagome shifted her head some and felt the small sharks on her ears hit the side of her jaw. It got a smile on her face. She loved the earrings. She wouldn't part from them in all the world. After she left the Mess Hall that morning, she put them on her ears right away. They definitely put her in a better mood. Kagome looked over at the mind numbing equations that Sesshoumaru worked on. If she wasn't good in math, Kagome would have been lost at all the numbers. Sesshoumaru definitely knew what he was doing in that department.

"Have you come across anything better, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked as she continued to measure the liquids in her hands.

"Not of this time." He simply replied. Sesshoumaru had no intention to continue this conversation. He had too much work to do before her party started. This made him angry because normally he would work in the lab until at least two in the morning.

"Well, I am going to grab something quick to eat. I need a break from all of this. My eyes feel like they are going to melt inside of my head." Kagome stated while putting her vials down in their proper place.

"You humans take to many breaks. It is bad enough that you feel it necessary to close the lab down and make it into an entertainment area." He said without breaking his concentration.

Kagome narrowed her dark blue eyes at him. The nerve!' she thought. "Well, if you feel that way, maybe I will just call this off. It is bad enough we go without any entertainment here on this God forsaken base," she grounded out between clenched teeth.

With that said, Kagome left the room and made her way down the corridor. Her anger and hurt radiated off of her in thick waves. It almost made Sesshoumaru wince. Never before had he ever felt shame on what he said or did. But for some reason, he felt like he over stepped it with the empath. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard an infuriated snarl directed at him. Looking up with a raised brow at who would challenge him, he came across swiftly swirling green/gray eyes.

"Sesshoumaru," came a dark growling voice, "you have really pushed it this time."

Sesshoumaru sized up the dragon. She was pissed' to simply put it. Her aura had a red shine to the normally calm green. Nicole's wings were arched and away from her body so if she wanted to move at a faster pace, she could. Her claws had elongated and were now cutting into the metal lab table. Her fangs even grew in length. If he were a lesser demon, he would have been afraid of the small dragon before him.

"I will not have you ruin her day. Kagome works far too hard for you to go and screw it up for her. She needs a break just like us demons need an occasional rest." Nicole snarled out.

"I will not take back what I have said, Dragon. She needs to learn to build a harder shell around herself if she expects to make it in life. All of her self loathing will do nothing but further hurt her."

"Well, someone like you will do nothing to improve it, asshole!" With that said, Nicole turned on her heel and stomped out of the lab, determined to find Kagome.

Sesshoumaru put his pencil down and watched her retreating form. Nicole was right of course. Which hurt his pride and made him even more angry. Sometimes he could almost see himself as his brother when it came to talking to other people. Inuyasha had a habit of cutting people down with unthought of words. But this he would not back down from. He needed the time to work on this. Not to go and party. Maybe he should have used less hateful words? Sesshoumaru tried to convince himself that what he said was right, but a small voice in the back of his head said otherwise. Allowing a soft sigh to pass his lips, he erased the cumbersome thought and went back to his work. May as well get some work done.

Nicole lifted her nose in the air to be met with salt and Kagome's lovely scent. She was seething at what Sesshoumaru said. He just gave demons bad names at times. Nicole had always liked humans. She just had to fight them most of the time when she was younger. She had very few human friends back in the Midlevel area. Always some stupid king sending knights to kill her and she would have to do drastic things to get them to back off. Yes, that did include killing by ingestion. Yes, they did taste bad. A nice cow fancied her more, but she did what she had to do. Nicole may be small in her humanoid form, but in her dragon form, she was quite formable. Although still small for a dragon, she easily brought fear in her opponents.

Nicole stopped in front of Kagome's room. The trail of tears ended here. She knocked on the door and heard a soft enter.' Nicole walked in and found her in front of the large glass window with Shi and Tom on the other side. The two sharks looked to be comforting their friend, but with the expressionless faces of the great whites, you could never tell. She watched as the two fish swam away and left them alone.

Nicole watched as Kagome sat down on the edge of her bed and looked down at the floor. "You know, it is hard to look at those two and wonder if they will ever eat you. I know that sharks don't pray on humans normally, but one would have to think. Would they ever just at least wonder if you would make a nummy shark treat?"

Kagome didn't respond to Nicole's badly put dry humor. She just shrugged her shoulders in a non-caring way and continued to look at the floor. Well, that didn't work.' Nicole thought of something else to at least get a smile out of her good friend.

"Look, just because he is on his demonic period doesn't make him right." Nicole said with a wave of her hand. She smiled in triumph when Kagome smirked.

"There is that smile I like so much. Don't let him get to you, Kagome. He doesn't shit gold. I am sure if he could come up with a laxative that does he would make millions, but in the meantime, Sesshoumaru is really no better then anyone else." Nicole explained with a reassuring smile.

"He is right, you know," came Kagome's small voice, "I really have no right in closing down the lab to make it into a party room."

"Well, I say you do," Nicole hotly said, "and we are going to do it. So get your mopey ass up and lets get something to eat. I know I'm starving."

"You are always hungry." Kagome playfully shot at her friend.

"Well, I have to keep up my strength you know." Nicole shot back.

"Yes, I am sure Ty is a monster in bed."

Nicole didn't miss Kagome's sly grin. She put on a mischievous smile of her own. "Yes, he is. It is just so hard to sexually please a serpent. He just cant seem to get enough! Men are nothing but hormones, I tell ya."

Kagome laughed at this. She got up when Nicole motioned for her to follow and they both headed down to the Mess Hall. Kagome just let herself enjoy being with one of her best friends and let her break do her some good. She would not let Sesshoumaru ruin her day. She didn't need the grump around anyway. Even if he had started being a little bit nicer to her. He must have just been in a good mood.

After they were done with their late lunch, both females walked back to the lab fully refreshed and ready to work some more. When they walked into the lab, Kagome made sure to ignore Sesshoumaru unless it pertained to work. Sesshoumaru noticed this and found himself missing her smiles. Soon it was time for them to leave so Nicole, Ty, and Sango could clear the lab out and start the festivities. They made Kagome leave and go freshen up.

Sango walked up to Sesshoumaru after Kagome left and asked him if he was going to stay and help. When Sesshoumaru said no, Sango heard Nicole snort. She gave the dragon a questioning look, but Nicole turned her back by then and busied herself with putting up party favors. When Sango turned back around, Sesshoumaru had already left. She just shrugged her shoulders and joined the other two friends in decorating the lab.

Kagome washed her hair and hummed a soft tune. She loved to bathe. Right next to swimming. She took a big whiff of the lavender shampoo she loved to use. It had such a nice scent to it. She then rinsed her hair and started on her body. When she was satisfied with her cleanliness, Kagome rinsed herself off and turned off the shower head. She walked over to her towel and dried herself off. Wrapping the towel securely around herself, she walked out of women's wash area and went to the main room. She picked up her dirty clothes and got ready to leave. Right as she walked out, Sesshoumaru walked in with a fresh bundle of clothing in his hands.

"Oh!" Kagome was totally caught off guard and almost walked right into the tall demon.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her and noticed her lack of clothing. The towel barely covered her upper body and from his view point, he got a nice shot of cleavage. He quickly adverted his eyes and looked over her head. For a human, she has quite a nice body,' came a thought from the back of his head. Sesshoumaru stepped to the side to bypass her, but was stopped by a small delicate hand upon his arm.

"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru. I wasn't paying attention." Came the small voice.

"It is okay." Sesshoumaru didn't know why he was even speaking to the small woman, but nonetheless he was.

Kagome blushed with embarrassment when she realized her lack of clothing. She quickly gathered her wits and started to walk to the door.

"I am sorry."

Kagome stopped at hearing this. At first she thought she was hearing things, but when she turned her head around to look at him, she knew otherwise. The tall pale demon was looking at her with the normal unreadable face, but his eyes held a softer look to them. Kagome realized at this moment, she got something that not many heard from Sesshoumaru. She got an apology.

Kagome smiled a soft, but sad smile at him. "It's all right." She turned back around and walked out of the shower room and headed back to her room.

Sesshoumaru watched her go with guilt still hanging on him. He didn't understand why he felt so guilty when it came to the empath, but he did nonetheless. He walked to the men's side and started getting ready for his bath; taking a deep breath of her lovely scent as he walked by the women's side.

Kagome got to her room and put on a nice dark blue tunic and a dark pair of jeans that rested low on her hips. She loved this shirt. It fitted nicely to her body but still flowed loosely. She pulled her hair up in a high ponytail and put on just a little mascara and lip gloss. She never really liked wearing a lot of makeup. Once she was satisfied with her looks, Kagome walked out the door to head to her birthday party. She came to the realization that if she were to enjoy her party, she would have to let all of her negativity go. She was in a bad mood when she woke up and she wouldn't let that stop her from having a good time tonight.

Sesshoumaru sat in his room with a pair of swimming trunks on, his long tail wrapped securely around his muscular, bare shoulder. He couldn't believe he was going to do this, but he was tired of feeling bad. Never before had he felt like this. Especially over a human. He stood up and walked out of his room. Satisfied that no one was around, he walked down the corridor and proceeded down to the loading area. When he entered the room, Sesshoumaru looked over to the far wall and saw what he was looking for. He grabbed one of the scuba tanks and made sure the mouth piece was in place. He slipped it onto his back and grabbed one of the goggles hanging by the tanks. He spit in it and rubbed the saliva around then walked over to the large round opening in the middle of the room.

Sesshoumaru sat down and let his legs dangle in the water while he splashed some of the water in the goggles. He put the goggles on his head and got the mouth piece in its proper place. Once he was satisfied with everything, Sesshoumaru jumped off the ledge.

He felt the coldness engulf him but that didn't bother him. The pressure was what bothered him. Humans would die at this depth, but Sesshoumaru was a full demon. His body could handle it. Although it did bother his ears more than normal. He started to make long strokes in the water. His movement looked as graceful as any creature would look if they belonged in the ocean. This was Sesshoumaru's love, his world. He loved the ocean. That was what made him want to become a marine biologist in the first place.

Sesshoumaru worked his way down to the ocean floor and started to look around in the sand. When he would walk across the catwalk, he would see all sorts of beautiful things in the lighted areas. What he was looking for was the beautiful shells that lined the ocean floor. The shells down here were huge. He knew Kagome loved shells from walking by her door one day when it was open. She had some lined on her dresser. The size of the ones here were larger than the ones in her room.

Sesshoumaru swam for a few minutes until he came upon some large ones. They were empty, void of any life, so Sesshoumaru picked up about four of them and inspected them for any imperfections. Once he was satisfied of the quality, he started to head back. He had all four in one arm so he could swim with his other.

He was a few yards away from the main opening when he felt a tug on his long hair. With his brows frowned he turned around as much as he could to see what his hair got caught on. Sesshoumaru really wished he didn't. What greeted his eyes nearly gave him a heart attack. Floating just a few feet from him was a very large great white shark. His eyes widened at the large mouth full of sharp teeth.

Sesshoumaru quickly reached up and pulled his hair out of the large fishes mouth. He swam backwards with a rush of adrenaline helping him move quicker. He was sure if the shark could smirk it would. The large fish moved up beside him and looked at him with his lifeless black eyes. Sesshoumaru decided to not hang around anymore and twisted his body back around to continue his pursuit to the loading area. At a much faster pace than before.

Once Sesshoumaru got to the surface, he tossed the shells up on the metal floor and then quickly hoisted himself up over the edge. He turned around and brought up his legs with him when he noticed the large fish followed him. He ripped the equipment off and glared at the shark. Sesshoumaru then reached for some of his hair and inspected it. If that damn fish so much as hurt my hair,' he thought angrily. His thoughts was interrupted when he heard a low masculine laugh. Sesshoumaru turned to see Will standing not to far from him, picking up Sesshoumaru's shells that were sprawled all over the floor.

"It's all right, mate," Will said between laughs, "Tom wont eat ya."

Sesshoumaru stood up and glared at the Australian man. Will walked up to the tall demon and handed his shells back to him. Sesshoumaru made sure to take the shells with little contact of Will. He was embarrassed and angry. First the sharks, now Will had to see him actually shaken up. Sesshoumaru wouldn't admit he was scared of the sharks. He was just shaken up.

"Thank you," was all the came out of Sesshoumaru's mouth and he walked to the corridor and back to his room.

Will just smiled and shook his head. Sesshoumaru's reaction to the sharks was almost as good as Inuyasha's. The young half-demon nearly shit himself when he first experience Tom's fetish for silver hair. Inuyasha jumped out of that water so fast. He was using very colorful language as well. It made him wish he had a video camera that day. Maybe I should keep in the loading area..'

Kagome hugged her friends good-bye for the night. It was late and she needed to get some sleep. Although only a few came to the party, it was really fun. They danced and had drinks. Kagome was feeling quite good in fact. It only took one drink to loosen her up and after that, it only took two more to get her feeling like she could concur the world. Alcohol never sat well with her. Miroku liked to call her a cheap-date,' claiming it wouldn't take much to get her drunk. He was right.

Kagome made it back to the hall that housed her room with a goofy grin on her face. When she approached the door, she noticed a large box with an envelope on the top. She bent down and took hold of the box, then righted herself. She had to go slow because her head started to spin. Once she got the door open (it was no small feat) she walked to her bed and plopped down on it. She opened the envelope and pulled out a small piece of paper. She crossed her legs on the bed and started to read.

Kagome,

I noticed you liked seashells. I hope you like these.

Sesshoumaru

Kagome opened the box and saw four of the most beautiful seashells she had ever seen. She hugged one to her body and a small smile formed on her face. Maybe he isn't so bad after all'


	5. Chapter 5

In Under Deep

A.N. I am not passing up my other fic! It is just going to take longer than I want. It is the club! I mean, come on now. Do you really think I will just spit that one out! With the help of a friend, we are going to have a very nasty, sexy, and scary club experience that Kagome will ever have! Muwahahahahaha! ahem Anyways! I am writing chapter five to IND for now and you all will have to wait longer for TA (hehe tits and asswell I thought it was funny) to come out. I have to perfect that chapter, and I am finding it very hard to write. So just bear with me. I would like to thank DarkMiko66 for the recommended story on this fic. I am truly honored that you love my story enough to post your recommendation for it. I LOVE YOU! Now, you know that drill, Review! It makes me feel good.

Disclaimer: Now I really know how the other writers feel about having to type this shit. I DON'T OWN IT! If I did, I would be very well off, but I don't, so I am poor. Hey, anyone feel up to drawing my sharks? I would love to see how someone would view them.

Kagome pushed herself through the water. Her head the only thing above so she could breath. She slowed her movements until she came to a floating stop, her dark hair pooling around her to make an appearance of dark ink trying to spread out in the salt water. Her dark blue eyes scanned her surroundings, taking in nothing but water and dark gray metal walls. I told them to come in here, where are they?' she thought to herself. The holding tank was huge and it spread across several rooms, but were where hear friends? The sharks were just to big to miss.

While looking at her surroundings, Kagome started to think about her lab partner. The tall one with long hair that made her jealous and eyes like the brightest sun. A sun she hadn't seen in a long while. But to look into Sesshoumaru's eyes made her want to see the real thing less. A smile appeared on her face when she thought about her chance to touch his hair. Sesshoumaru spilled some chemicals on it, due to Nicole's shit' accidents, and was trying to wash it off when Kagome offered her help. He was reluctant at first. Not wanting to let her near his person. With a little coaxing from her, he finally let her rinse the rest off. His hair was so soft and fine. It looked like spun silver and the fineness wasn't baby fine, but a nice silkiness that if the wind blow, it would flow in the breeze.

Kagome frowned at her hair. She used a lot of conditioner in her hair, but it never felt like that. She had nice hair, but compared to his, it was a dud. One thing she loved about her hair was the color. She had nice black hair that shined blue when the light hit it just right. At least she had something about her hair she liked. Ha! Take that Sesshoumaru! You may have the texture, but I have the color.' His hair color was nice too. O'well, cant have it all.

In her mental musings, Kagome didn't realize she had two large fish stocking her. One would think of the Jaws theme as the biggest, Tom, allowed his large fin to surface from the water. He swam right up behind her at a deliberate slow pace. He slowed his motions even more until he only crept inches from Kagome. Suddenly she got sifted forward. Kagome let a startled eep' before she spun around with a big grin on her face. A second great white appeared on the side of Kagome while she wrapped her arms, the best she could, around Tom.

**_You guys are silly_**!' Kagome mentally said as she giggled out loud.

**_Gome never saw us come_**,' Tom smugly thought to her.

**_No, I didn't. You guys are getting so good at stocking. I am proud of you_**.' Kagome rubbed his nose as she admired their sizes. **_Tom, you are getting so big! I must remember to measure you again_**.'

**_What about me, Gome_**?' Shi inquired with a nudge.

Kagome smiled and reached her other hand over to rub her on the nose as well. **_I haven't forgotten about you, Shi. You are getting big too.'_**

Both sharks ate up the attention they were receiving from their favorite human. Tom shifted himself as much as possible so Kagome could reach near his gills. Tom loved to be rubbed there. She stopped her motions and decided to measure the sharks. It has been six months since she last did it. Why not do it now when she had the time?

Kagome told them to follow her to the main water room. Kagome swam up to the beginning of the tank and grabbed the side to hoist herself up on the edge. Water ran down her body as she pushed up out of the tank and steadied herself on her two long legs. Her long black hair stuck to her back and she had to pull it away so she could move her head easier. She walked over to a small compartment where she housed the measuring tape. Kagome got Miroku to purchase her a forty foot tape a while back when her twenty foot tape started to get too short. She pulled it out and wrapped it around her left arm so she could keep a descent hold on the long flimsy measuring tape while she figured out how much the sharks had grown. Making sure she had her clipboard nearby, Kagome started to make her way back to the tank.

Kagome paused for a moment. They were so big. How was she going to measure them on her own? Duh, girl. You should have thought about this before you got everything together,' she thought with sarcasm. The last time she did this, Kagome had to get Miroku to help her. Great,' she thought, how am I going to do this?'

Kagome was so busy thinking about ways to handle her current problem, she didn't realize Sesshoumaru had walked into the room. The tall demon looked at the woman standing in front of him. She had a two-piece black swim suit on. It wasn't vulgar. It covered her where it needed to, but Kagome's body was so shapely that it still didn't leave much to his imagination. He started at the top of her turned head and followed the dripping wet hair down her back. Sesshoumaru couldn't see her slender shoulders because of the wet black mane, so he just continued on to her nicely rounded ass. Oh yes, her rear was very nice. He made sure to catch himself with a for a human,' before allowing himself to become fascinated with how her legs connected nicely to the rounded rear. He continued down her muscular legs until it ended with her pretty feet that resided in a small puddle of water.

Sesshoumaru wandered at his sanity for thinking her feet pretty. She had no claws on her toes, just regular human nails. What Sesshoumaru could see of her toenails, Kagome had painted a bright neon pink. The color alone almost hurt his eyes. I thought the neon look went out in the late eighty's,' he thought. That time period was hell for all demons. The bright colors the humans loved to wear could have blinded his race for all time. Sesshoumaru was very glad that look went out.

Shaking his head to clear the unwanted thoughts, Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. It had the desired affect. Kagome jumped at the sudden sound and spun around. She did this a little to fast, because the next thing she remembered was slipping on the puddle she created and landed with a hard thump' on the slippery glass floor.

"Ouch," she huffed out. Her bottom was now throbbing with the rough impact.

Sesshoumaru had to fight to keep the smirk from his face. It was really funny to see her fall. Instead, Sesshoumaru let his eyebrow rise to show his small' amusement to her dilemma.

"You could at least help me up!" Kagome huffed. Her face was now red, due to her embarrassing fall, and the smug dog standing in front of her was not helping the matter.

Sesshoumaru decided to be chivalrous and extended a clawed hand down to help her up. May as well be somewhat nice, right? He made sure Kagome was stable before letting her hand go. Kagome was still blushing like made. He wondered how much of it was due to the embarrassing fall. Over the past four months, Kagome has slowly wormed his way into his heart. It was very confusing. He actually started to talk to the small woman. She was nice to talk to, even if most of it was verbal sparing. Kagome had given him quite a challenge. He loved challenges. That challenge was to out smart her on what ever it was. It could be small to large. What ever it was, Sesshoumaru would tease her to no end. It made the long days much brighter for him.

"May I ask what you where doing?" He asked her with a hint of amusement betraying his voice.

Why do I get the mental image of him laughing his ass off at me,' she thought to herself. It didn't take an empath to see his humor begging to be pushed over. "I am going to measure Tom and Shi. The both of them are growing and I must record it."

Sesshoumaru looked at the two sharks waiting patiently for their human to come back into the water with them. He shuttered a little when he thought about the shark incident on her birthday. Kagome never did mention it. He wondered if Tom ever told her. Sesshoumaru looked at the large animals and had to admit that they have grown. By just his eye, he could have guessed around four more feet. He wondered if they would ever stop growing. They were still young and had a few more years of growing to go. If they kept this rate up, the great whites would see at least forty to fifty feet. The would be so big, the holding tank would have to be enlarged.

"Are you planning on doing it yourself?" He inquired, still looking at the large fish.

"Well,.yes," Kagome answered with an unsure voice.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her again. She really hated hit when he did that. That eyebrow of his meant teasing. Teasing he loved to do. He walked over to edge of the tank and pulled his shirt over his head. After that, he undid his jeans and slid them down. He wore only sandals, so they came off with his jeans. All he wore now was a black pair of swimming trunks. Kagome watched all of this with a wide eyed expression of disbelief. Could he really be willing to help her out?

"Um.are you planning on helping me?" Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru turned to her and allowed a smirk to form on his finally chiseled face. "I am not doing this for the free show, if that is what you mean."

Kagome cursed herself as she felt the warmth come back to her cheeks. Damn that demon.' She looked at his finally shaped body. He was not ashamed of his looks. That much was obvious. He even had the audacity to flex his chest muscles at her when he noticed her eyeing him. That prick!'

Kagome quickly looked to the measuring tape on her arm. She missed how his teasing smirk turned into a mischievous one. She unwound it and handed the tape to Sesshoumaru. He took it in one hand and jumped into the water. Kagome noted how he jumped in to where there was distance from the large fish. He held onto one side of the tank to keep himself steady and waited for her to jump in as well.

Once Kagome was in the tank, she pushed herself over to where he was and grabbed one side of the tape. "You take the head," she said in a nonchalant way, "I will take the tail."

Sesshoumaru looked at the shark's head. Images of his long hair wrapped around huge shark teeth, made him pale some. Kagome didn't miss this and had to fight to keep the smirk off of her face. It wasn't very successful. The twitching could be seen anyway and she had to turn her head away from him to hide the wide smile that now showed itself. She fought to regain her composure and turned back to him when he hadn't moved.

"Are you going?" She asked in an impatient manner.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed some at her and he pushed her out of the way. "Hey!" He heard her protest. It fazed him none. He got to the sharks tail and watched as it would twitch some to keep the large animal in one place. He turned to look at her and raised his brow once again. "Are you ready?" He questioned.

Kagome couldn't believe it. He pushed her out of the way to get to the shark's tail. Oh how she was going to tease him later. She huffed' and went to Tom's head.

**_Hold still now_**.' Kagome mentally told Tom.

The said fish just moved his eye to pear at her. Not moving was the last thing on his mind. His young brain just wanted to play with pretty hair. Tom started to move back. His muscular body following his every wish. Soon, Sesshoumaru's body was right next to Tom's head. Sesshoumaru was amazed at how fast the fish backed up. His amazement was short lived though when he saw the large fish turn its head in his direction.

Tom eyed his silver hair floating in the water. Some was floating his way. Opening his jaws carefully, Tom grabbed some in his mouth. He could feel Sesshoumaru's soft hair tickling his mouth behind his sharp teeth. How fun!' Tom mentally shouted.

Sesshoumaru could have pissed himself if it wasn't for the fact Kagome was in the water with him. Plus Sesshoumaru didn't piss himself if he was scared. He watched as the shark extended his large jaws out slowly to grab some of his lose hair. Just one of the teeth were as big as his hands. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as the shark held some of his long strands in his mouth. He started to swim back with long powerful strokes of his arms. He needed to get away from this big fish.

He pulled his hair out of Tom's mouth and turned to get out of the water. Kagome saw this. "Wait!"

Sesshoumaru turned his head in her direction and glared. A cold glare he hadn't given Kagome since the first day of meeting her. "What?"

"Please, I really need your help. He wont do it again. I promise." Kagome gave him a really pitiful look.

Sesshoumaru had never seen such a look before in his life. This woman was giving him puppy eyes! She was good at it too. "Fine," he said, "keep your fish away from my hair."

Kagome beamed at him and then turned her attention to Tom. **_Tom_**,' The shark turned to look at Kagome, **_don't scare Sesshoumaru._**'

If the shark could look crestfallen, he would do it. **_But Gome, I like the man with pretty long hair. It is much more pretty then the other.' _**

Kagome knew he was talking about Inuyasha. The half-demon now refused to do anything when it came to them. He got tired of Tom trying to chew on his hair. **_Now is not the time, Tom_**.'

The shark moved back to where Kagome was and tried to stick his nose up under her arm. It only resulted in her resting her hand on top of his head. It would do for him. He knew that he could no longer snuggle her like he did when he was small.

Kagome smiled at her large friend. She gave him a pat on the head and looked to see Sesshoumaru move back to Tom's tail. He grabbed the tip of the tail and waited for Kagome to take the other end. After they finally all of the measuring done with Tom, they moved to Shi. The female great white was much more easy to handle. Sesshoumaru was very appreciative about it. He made sure to keep on the side of Shi so he could keep an eye on Tom.

After they had finished both of the sharks, Sesshoumaru quickly got out of the water while Kagome took her time. She walked over to the clipboard and wrote down the measurements while Sesshoumaru dried off. Kagome then turned to dry herself off. She looked over and saw that her towel was not by her clothes. 'Where is my towel' Her question was answered when she looked to see Sesshoumaru patting his hair with HER towel.

"That is my towel!" she cried enraged.

Sesshoumaru looked up at Kagome, moved the now damp towel way from his hair so he could swing it over his shoulder, and tossed her back the now sopped towel. "Sorry," he said with a mischievous look in his eyes."

Sesshoumaru grabbed his clothes dressed himself and left the Water Room. Kagome sat there and cursed in her mind. That arrogant dog!' Kagome felt like screaming. She was mad. Kagome dried herself off as best as she could and put her clothes back on. From how wet the towel is, he must have dried his tail too.' She stuffed now drenched towel under her arm and walked out of the room, saying good-bye to the two fish.

-

Kagome worked in the lab beside Nicole. Sango had come in earlier saying that she would meet them at the Mess Hall. She was glad Sango was going to join them. It had been a while since her long time friend would eat lunch with her. She had known Sango for about ten years. Kagome met her when she was a senior in high school. She was the only good thing that happened to her. It was nice to have a friend in engineering. She got signed up right after Kagome did.

"Shit!"

Kagome rolled her eyes at her newer friend. She met Nicole when she got here. The dragon was something else. She cussed, acted, and behaved like a sailor. No wonder she was single for so long. Not many men, demon or human, could stand her brash attitude. Nicole was pretty, sure. But her wildness got her into a lot of trouble. One time, Nicole put blonde hair dye in Inuyasha's Shampoo. It was the kind that didn't have the strong smell. When he discovered he had golden hair, Inuyasha went ballistic. He ran all over the base looking for the culprit. Nicole would have gotten away with it to, if she hadn't of cracked. Kagome could remember seeing the dragon shaking with mirth. She just couldn't hold it in. Kagome could still hear the laughter. What amazed her so much, was how smoke and some fire shot out of her nose. Good thing they went near anything flammable.

Kagome watched as Nicole cleaned up her shit' mess. As she finished up, Nicole stilled. Kagome grew concerned of her friends behavior. "Nicole," she asked, "is something wrong?"

Nicole shifted her head up and started to sniff the air like crazy. The action made her think of Inuyasha when he found a smell that caught his interest. Nicole exhaled long and some smoke puffed out of her nose with a silly smile on her face. Kagome couldn't help but giggle.

"Nicole," Kagome tried again.

"I smell.," Nicole started to sniff the air again. "I smell.LIVER!"

The short dragon turned on her sandaled heel with a whoosh of her wings. She practically ran out the door and down the corridor. How Nicole smelled the liver was beyond Kagome. The Mess Hall was in another part of the base. Kagome shook her head and put down the tubes in her hands. Well, it looked like lunch was now.

Kagome wasn't in a hurry to get to the Mess Hall; she just took her time. When she did arrive, the look on Sango's face was enough to explain why most of the people were sitting farther from her table than normal. Nicole was stuffing her face like she hadn't eaten in months. The smell of liver and onions was strong in the room and was not one of Kagome's favorite dishes. It looked like Richie was getting in one of his southern cooking moods again.

Kagome got her food and sat down beside a cringing Sango, who was trying her damnedest not to wear any of Nicole's flying food, and began eating her fried chicken. Kagome was used to Nicole's horrific eating habits. Sango quickly moved over to the other side of Kagome. It was a safer distance.

"So Sango," Kagome started while skillfully dodging a renegade onion, "how are things going with you?"

"Pretty good, Kagome." Sango replied, eyeing the bit of onion that missed Kagome.

Kagome took a bite of her mashed potatoes and washed it down with some sweetened tea. "I heard that Miroku wanted to ask you out to dinner."

Sango looked at her friend with a shocked expression that quickly turned to a reddened one. She hadn't excepted yet, but she did like the perve. Once one got past the wondering hands, Miroku was a really nice guy. It was just getting to the point of getting past the wondering hands thing. "Well, I like him, " she said after swallowing around a piece of pie, "I haven't accepted it yet."

Kagome stopped her eating and looked at Sango. The two would look great together. Sango just needed a little pushing in the right direction. "Well, I think you need to give him a chance. He is really nice."

Sango looked at her with a tilt to her head. Maybe I should.' "I will think on it."

To Kagome, that was a yes. Every time Sango said that, she would always go ahead with it. She got a big smile on her face and continued her eating. Unfortunately, she missed the flying onion targeted at her head. "Ew! Nicole, slow down already! Your going to chock."

"Mmm..No..wImm..mont. I..havemm..anhm enlarghgthroaff."

Kagome just rolled her eyes while Sango looked on with disgust.

Sesshoumaru sat down on the edge of a crate while checking off some of the things on a list. Miroku was helping Will move some more stuff onto the loading dock. Will had gone up to the surface with Shippo and both had brought back the supplies they needed for the next two weeks. Sesshoumaru started to respect Shippo. The tall fox still had some filling out to do, but the kid was nice and respectable. He adored Kagome like no tomorrow and was nice to everyone. He will become a good man one day. Right now the nineteen year old was just goofy and tricky. Very true to his fox nature.

Will as another story. The Australian was very dirty. He only showered twice a week and he had another part of him that stunk almost as bad as his odor. He was very nosey. Will constantly questioned about the Shikon Effect and how the anti-agent was coming along. Miroku found no harm in the questions and always answered the man. He just thought Will to be curious. Sesshoumaru on the other hand found him to be very annoying and nosey. And surprisingly enough, it wasn't because he was human. Something didn't smell right about his sea water and greasy smell. Something was underlining it. It bothered the dog.

While talking to Inuyasha about it one day, he found his half-brother had the same opinion. Inuyasha barley talked to him and kept his distance. He had a bad feeling about him too. What was it about Will that had him so worked up when he was near? One day he would find out.

Sesshoumaru checked the finale thing on the list and got ready to leave. The sooner he left the loading dock the better he would feel. Sesshoumaru also had a lot of work he needed to get done today. The sooner he left, the better. "I will be going now, Miroku."

Miroku looked up from what he was doing and nodded his head at him. "Okay Sesshoumaru. Have a good day."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head back and turned to leave when he was stopped by Will. "Hey mate. I was wandering how your work was com'in"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the blonde man. "That is not of your concern, human."

Will put a hurt look on his face. "I was just wondering, mate."

Sesshoumaru stepped around him and continued on his way. He just didn't like the man for some reason.

Will looked at Miroku with a confused expression. "Why doesn't he like me?" He asked.

"I don't know, Will." Miroku replied as he went back to his work. He wondered why Sesshoumaru acted that way around him. He had noticed Sesshoumaru acting better around them the past few months. It looked like he was getting over his human hating, which made Miroku happy. Looking at how he acted around Will, though, made him think differently.

"Well, you know how dogs sometimes don't like certain people," Will joked, "maybe it is the same way with dog demons."

Miroku stopped what he was doing. That makes since' he thought. Dogs don't like certain people. Inuyasha doesn't mess with him either.' This thought bothered Miroku. They ran a secret base. If anyone got info out on the surface pertaining what they were doing, well he didn't want to think about it. But then again, Will was just a curious guy. This bothered Miroku. He hoped it was just the two brothers not liking the man and not something else.

A man sat down in front of a radio. It was late at night now, although you couldn't really tell in the base. Everyone was asleep. With all the demons around, he had to make sure about what time he could do this. He turned on a small desk lamp, but he sat back in the darkened part of his small room. He picked up the mouth piece and turned the radio on to the channel he used to talk to his boss. in." The man spoke over the static of the radio. He didn't have to wait long for a reply.

"What do you have, Will." Came a smooth voice.

Will leaned forward so he could be seen in the light the small table held. "Not much new going on yet, mate. They still haven't made much in progress yet."

"Continue what you are doing and report back to me."

"Will do. Over and out, Mate."


	6. Chapter 6

In Under Deep

A.N. I have a beta for this fic alone. Her name is Snow Fall. I love her. She loves to bug me on my poor grammar. So she has been so kind to pick this fic to beta. So it will be better. Because I suck. Now, on with the story. I will be going into more of my OC characters. Not much, but just a little. They will be main characters in this story too. Just not as main as Sess and Kagome. Remember to review. I like reviews. I also want someone to draw me a pic for this story. It is a strange request, but I want one. I would love it to have my sharks in it. Only my sharks is fine, but I want one done. I would draw, but you don't want me to disgrace this story. Trust me on that. I also want to tell you something funny. I was shopping the other day in Wal-Mart and my son was fussing, my daughter was crying. I pretty much wanted to pull my hair out. We were walking down the cereal isle. I can upon a box of cereal call Nemo, from Little Nemo. It had this big great white shark on it with this huge evil grin. The only thing I could think of was Tom going after Sesshoumaru's hair. LOL If you go shopping, look out for this box and you will see what I mean. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Only my OC.

Silvery-blue scales rubbed against deep brown ones as Ty pushed up against Nicole. The room was full of musk and heavy sex as the two growled their pleasures to one another. It was hard for them both. Stuck between transformations, that is. They both desperately wanted to go all the way and be in their true forms. A large leather wing smacked against the wall as a clawed hand grabbed it to have better leverage and a scaly tail, widened at the end to aid in swimming, wrapped securely around her waist. The sound of scales hitting frantically filled the small room, that was currently being trashed from their sexual progress.

"Oh God!" Nicole growled out as she felt her nearing climax.

Ty reached forward and grabbed a foot long horn on the end of her now dragonic nose and pulled her long neck back, running a long forked tongue up until meeting another set of horns adorning the back of her head. His own dragon shaped head rubbing her neck as he traveled up it. "Yes, my lover, I am your God," He rumbled out, "sing your praise to me."

Wildly swirling green and gray eyes closed in ecstasy as her roar filled the room, penetrating their metal surroundings by going down the hall. Everyone heard Nicole's orgasm. A few more thrusts and Ty soon followed, clutching her back to his chest, as he emptied his hot seed into her awaiting sheath. They both fell forward onto the cool floor, Ty still nestled deep inside of her.

Ty allowed another long stroke of his tongue before leaning over to the side, taking Nicole with him. Heavy breathing echoed through the room as both fought to control the wild panting. This is what he loved about Nicole. She had the sexual hunger of a tiger. "I love you…," he breathed out as he cleaned her lovingly with his tongue.

Nicole sighed as he continued his long licks over her shoulders and neck. It felt so nice. How did she get so lucky? Ty was a once in a lifetime catch. "I love you too…"

Ty just couldn't imagine life without her in it. He remembered the first day meeting the wild dragon. He walked down the beach toward a docking area, wearing nothing but a baggy shirt with an equally baggy pair of swimming trunks. His shoulder length blue hair flowing in the breeze as he shifted the small duffel bag to a more comfortable position on his shoulder. The sun-cooked sand burned his feet. The flip-flops offered little protection against the offending granules. He had been assigned to the newly made base as the computer expert. He, of course, loved the machines. Ever since they came out with computers, Ty would quickly go out and purchase one, just to see what kind of new thing he could do on them. He got assigned to the American Government because he got caught hacking one-too-many times. Instead of sending the water dragon to prison, they saw a better potential for him.

As he neared his destination, he noticed a good fifty foot dragon laying on the sand. Smelling the air, he identified it as a female. Her aroma was pleasing to the serpent, noting the strangeness to it. Most serpents found land dragons repulsive in their strong smoky scents. This Dragon's smell contained fire instead of smoke and had a airy scent laced with it. 'Strange smell for a dragon,' he mused. His dark blue eyes roomed her form. She was pleasing to gaze upon as well. Her dark brown color shimmered as the sun beat down and she had a slimmer build, instead of a bulky body. The mysterious dragon had longer legs that connected to her muscular, scaly frame. Even laying down, he could see the abnormal length contained grace, another trait unknown for land dragons.

Her wings, almost too long for her smaller frame, folded neatly at her sides, as her tail wrapped up her side to keep out of the way. Her neck sported the normal long length of her kind, but what fascinated him, was her horns. While most land dragons contained one or two horns, she had three on each side of her head, fanning back like a spiky head piece, and the largest one resting on the top of her nose. This horn was the longest. It reached for the sky, at what he guessed, a good three feet.

To Ty, she was beautiful.

He came up to her and noticed the dragon fast asleep. From the fiery sand and burning sun, it must have been a pleasing time to sunbath. "Excuse me," he politely interrupted, "do you know where I could find boat 210?"

The dragon swung her long head lazily around and opened her eyes for the first time. Ty was surprised when they showed a swirling green-gray instead of red like most demons possessed. "Yes," she growled out, "That is my boat."

Ty was taken by surprise by this. Not many dragons could talk in their true forms. He being one of the few. "Well, I am Ty Mchodge," he playfully introduced himself, "Reporting for duty."

She made a show out of looking him up and down. "I am Nicole Whitaker. We don't leave for another thirty minutes…..go away."

Ty blinked at Nicole a couple of times. 'Damn, that was rude.' He watched as she lowered her head back down and proceeded to close her eyes. He took in his surroundings and shrugged. If she wanted to be that way, he would to. He dropped his bag to the ground and transformed to his true form. He dwarfed her size by a good forty feet. His long serpent body, closely resembling a chinese dragon's, carried by his four short legs, moved him out the ocean. Once he got into the water, Ty rounded on the dozing Nicole. Filling his ice lungs for a blast, he belched forth a cloud of freezing mist to settle on her sun warmed body. His result was a startled roar and a pissed off, fire breathing , dragon.

Okay, so their first meeting wasn't something to brag about, but it sure was funny.

Nicole slide her tail up his body and grinned mischievously. The tip of her tail wormed its way to his rear and traced the line of it up.

"Hey!"

A deep chuckle rumbled from Nicole as she turned her long head towards her lover. "I couldn't help myself, Lover," she said with foreigned innocence, "My tail just has a mind of its own."

"Acting like Miroku right now will not be a good enough excuse for GOOSING me!" Ty growled out as he pulled her closer to his side.

"Well…..let me fix your pride then, lover." Moving her head down the front of him, Nicole's breath hit his relaxed member as she slipped her long forked tongue out and traced the long spear. Slowly, Nicole wrapped her tongue around it, giving the quickly hardening shaft a striped look. She eased it into her mouth. Nicole loved to run her deadly teeth over him. He always shivered in delight from the action.

"One day that will be the death of you." Ty growled out. Nicole only giggled when Ty forced her down and rammed his length back into her hot core.

Inuyasha cursed again. Damn those dragons! Don't they ever sleep? A clawed hand grabbed a pillow and shoved it over his fuzzy ears. For a dog half-demon, it did little to help. Why did Miroku suggest this anyways? Sure it would work for a human, but not him.

"OH! You are so big Ty!" Came a low feminine roar.

"No….you are so tight!" Followed a masculine grunt.

"No….you are both driving me CRAZY! GO TO SLEEP!" Inuyasha yelled at the metal wall.

Inuyasha thought it funny when they first started having sex. The things they said had him rolling on the floor, but now it was getting old. He wanted them to go to sleep. No wonder Sesshoumaru didn't mind the cigarettes. It is ten times better when compared to moaning and screaming all damn night.

"Oh!" He growled, throwing his hands in the air with frustration. "I will just go somewhere else!" Inuyasha grabbed his pillow and a blanket. He stomped to the door and opened it up. As he walked down the hall, he made sure to kick Ty's door. 'Where am I going to sleep?' A loud roar tore down the hallway and immediately Inuyasha knew he couldn't stay in the other rooms. Time to go to another hall. 'Kagome!' Came his brilliant thought. 'I will go to Kagome's room. She wont mind.' He strolled down the corridor, feeling good about his decision and the promise of sleep. It was always nice to be around Kagome anyway. She smelled so good. Her lavender and vanilla scent always overrode the saltwater smell.

As he came to the other hall, Inuyasha strolled to her door. A smile on his face for a promise of salvaging what little time he had left for rest. He raised his had only to pause in mid-knock by a low savage growl. Inuyasha turned his head to the right, reviling a pissed dog demon, only clothed in a pair of baggy flannel pants.

"What are you doing here, half breed." Came Sesshoumaru's cold inquiry.

"I came here trying to get some sleep, asshole." He bit out in response.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha. He would not be getting it in Kagome's room. "Not in her room."

"Well, Mister high n' mighty, where do you suggest I get it?" Inuyasha sarcastically asked.

"In your room." The dog demon answered.

"I would if I could," Inuyasha said with frustration. Why couldn't his brother just leave him alone? He only wanted some damn sleep. "The dragons from hell are fucking like rabbits! I cant go back to my room!"

That was just the reason Sesshoumaru thanked every god imaginable for them doing it in Inuyasha's end of the base. He pinned his brother with a cool gaze. He wouldn't let him sleep in Kagome's room. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. She was sleeping well; not something the telepathic priestess does often. He would not let his brother ruin that. Sesshoumaru had to do something for him. He could really understand why Inuyasha left. He would have done the same thing if in his shoes. He thought of the possibility of waking Miroku, but then he realized he slept in the same hall as Inuyasha. He know Sango wouldn't let him in her room. The unfortunate conclusion was to let the half demon sleep with him. Damn.

"Sleep in my room, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's voice carried out smooth and clear. He really didn't want to do this.

Inuyasha just stared at him for a few moments. Sleep in his room? Was he kidding? "No way, Fluffy."

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant brow at him. "If you don't, you will just sleep in the hall."

A low and ruthless growl erupted from Inuyasha's throat. He was tired, sore, and pissed off. He wanted a nice few hours sleep in Kagome's room and all he got was a shitty brother telling him he couldn't. Who was he to tell him 'no'? Glancing at Kagome's door one more time, he decided to play it safe and take up his brother's offer. "Fine," Inuyasha sneered, "I will sleep in your fucking, smelly room."

Sesshoumaru stepped to the side to let him pass, the only 'thank you' he received was a low bitter growl. Looking at Kagome's door, Sesshoumaru turned and gracefully strolled to his bed. He watched Inuyasha throw his pillow on the floor and wrap his blanket around him as he stretched out. Sesshoumaru laid down and rested his head on his hands, deciding to ignore his glaring brother. The half demon would go to sleep soon enough. He could smell fatigue rolling off of him. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes to show he wouldn't bother him and soon he heard Inuyasha's heartbeat slow down. 'When did I become so soft?' Sesshoumaru idly wondered. Maybe it was Kagome. She seemed to make him calm for some strange reason. He rolled over on his side and joined his brother in sleep. Right before he dozed off, he smirked at the thought of his brother cussing when the alarm would go off. Sesshoumaru knew Inuyasha would not be required to awaken so early. It was set to go off in four more hours.

Three women and two men sat in the middle of the floor. It was a room right off to the side of the main lab. In here, there were nothing but files. A lot of files. Kagome groaned when she realized what month it was. At least once a year, all the head scientists were required to go and look over the files and deem what required to stay on the shelves and what would end their lives in the shredding machine. It took most of the day to do this mundane act. 'I just LOVE doing this!' Kagome thought with a huge abundance of sarcasm. At least she had her friends there to pass the time. They all laughed at the ending of Sango's joke. Well all but Sesshoumaru, who sat in a chair writing what the file numbers were while everyone else sat on the floor, opening up each one to hand to the demon. He deemed himself too good to 'sit' on the floor.

"Oh," shot in Miroku, he wanted to tell the next joke, " I got one!"

Sango looked at him with a critical eye. Every time he told one, it was gross and offensive. "Okay Miroku. Tell your joke."

Miroku beamed as he cleared his throat. "Alright," he started, "All these guys are in a fox hole, fighting it out with the enemy. One guy states he has to go to the bathroom. Well, no one wanted him to go in the same foxhole as them, so he asks them to cover him as he goes over to another one to do his thing."

Sango just knew this one was going to end gross. The man just couldn't tell anything halfway civil. Kagome and Nicole listened on while opening files and waiting patiently for him to finish his joke. Sesshoumaru just continued writing and not paying any attention to them.

"Well, the solider goes off and he is gone the rest of the day. All of his bodies think he is dead. After the fighting stops, he comes back. When his sergeant asks him where he has been, he tells them he met this really hot girl." Miroku proceeds to change his voice for the effect. "Yeah man, I had the best sex I ever had! All of his buddies were jealous. One guy spoke up and asked him if the woman gave good head. He said, 'No, she had no head!'"

Sango glared at him and Kagome scrunched up her face in discuss. Even Sesshoumaru gave him a disapproving look. The only one who found humor in the joke was Nicole. A giggle erupted from the dragon who found the joke to be very amusing. Miroku joined in her laughter.

Nicole stopped when the others stared at her for even considering the vulgar joke funny. "What?"

"You are truly morbid, Nicole." Sango sighed.

"Okay, fine. I will change the subject." Nicole thought for a moment, flexing her wings in a new angle because they were falling asleep in their current position. "Oh! I know. Alright, when I was about twenty three summers, my best friend and I decided to play a trick on one of the neighboring Lords. The man and our clan were not on very good terms with each other. So one day we ate a shit-load of garlic. Now, let me tell you something. Garlic and dragons don't mix. We have problems….digesting it. So, we waited until late at night and snuck over to his castle. The fool never put guards in the back, so we crawled over the wall and over to where his window was located. When we got there, we promptly squatted and shit! Hehe! Right under his window. After we got a good distance away, we could hear him bitching about how bad the smell was!"

As gross as it was, the rest couldn't help but laugh at the story. It really was funny. Even Sesshoumaru smirked. Suddenly, Sango's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Hey!" She shot out and turned to the startled dragon, "You are the one that stunk up the bathroom! I will never let you eat Italian food again!"

Nicole gave a sheepish grin and went back to sorting threw files again. Kagome couldn't help but laugh. Nicole had a wild streak that couldn't be contained. The rest of the time went by fast. As all of them finished, Sesshoumaru left without helping to put the files back up. Nothing new there. The girls and Miroku finished up and left to do their own things. Kagome decided to go and visit her sharks.

She walked over to the water room and slipped in. She had her bathing suit on, but didn't feel like getting into the frigid water. Instead she hiked up her gauze skirt and slipped her legs in to dangle around. Kagome kicked her legs some as she called to her sharks. It didn't take long for the overgrown great whites to appear.

'**_Gome_**!' The joyful cry came from both at the same time.

'**_Hello you two. How was your day_**,' she answered with a grin.

Tom came up and nudged her playfully nudged her legs with Shi close to his side. '**_It was fun. Yasha came out today and worked on the metal side. Me and Shi played with him_**.'

Kagome busted in giggles. She knew for a fact she would hear from Inuyasha later about it. Their idea of 'playing' meant going after his hair. The half demon just couldn't stand the sharks. He wouldn't say it, but he was scared of them. She figured most people in their right minds would be. '**_Did he play back_**?'

'**_Not really_**,' started Shi, '**_Yasha started to swim back to the opening really fast_**.'

'In pure terror.' Kagome thought to herself. She stretched forward and rubbed the tips of their noses as best as she could. Trying to get a better reach, she hiked up her skirt some more, reviling more creamy pale thighs and went back to rubbing.

'**_What did you do, Gome_**?' Tom quirked.

'**_Well, just boring work. You guys wouldn't be interested in it_**.' Kagome sighed.

She watched in delight as Tom rolled over to his side. He loved his sides rubbed, even if it is just the side of his nose. Kagome continued her petting as her mind started to wonder. She thought about Sesshoumaru. Even today, he seemed to be warming up. Sure, the man could still be infuriating, but he actually participated in what they were doing now and he even talked more to her. Sesshoumaru would even sit closer to her at mealtimes. When she thought him unapproachable, he would totally confuse her by starting up small conversations. Why was he being so nice? Why would he offer to help her when in the past, the demon wouldn't think twice of producing a helping hand? How could a man change, the small amount he did, in just ten months? It confused her greatly. She sometimes wished Sesshoumaru could be more open about his feelings like his brother. One would be shocked to know they were brothers. Yes, they had the same hair and eyes, but Sesshoumaru was so cold, where his brother was the complete opposite.

'**_Gome quiet_**.' Tom suddenly mentioned.

Kagome glanced down and gave Tom a loving pat. 'I **_am just thinking about someone_**,' she truthfully quirked.

'**_Who_**?' Wondered Shi.

'**_Sesshoumaru_**….,' she answered.

'**_You like him_**!' Shot Tom.

Kagome looked shocked for a moment. '**_Well, yes I do. I like him_**.'

Mental giggle came from both the fish. '**_Gome's got a crush_**!' Tom sang out.

A blush crept up her neck to touch her cheeks. Well, yes, Kagome liked him. Who wouldn't. Sesshoumaru contained beauty far beyond most. She could honestly admit her slight jealousy at that fact. No man should be so beautiful. It was just his coolness she needed to work on.

'**_She does! Gome likes Sess_**!' Shi joined in the teasing.

Kagome chuckled at the teasing. Sometimes it was easy to forget they were just fish and not actual children.

Sesshoumaru finished up some calculations and decided to call it a night. He pivoted on his heel and pulled off his coat, hanging it up on the designated hook. As he went to leave, he remembered Kagome went into the water room awhile ago. Looking at his watch, he noted the lateness. She shouldn't be up so late. Humans did require sleep and Kagome never got much of it. Resolving his decision, Sesshoumaru quietly padded to the room. He entered the room silently and did a quick scan over. He finally focused on Kagome sitting on the edge, stroking her sharks. With a mischievous smirk, Sesshoumaru stalked his pray. She should know better then to let her guard down. Walking with stealth, he approached her, reaching a clawed hand out and placing it on her shoulder. Kagome shirked and spun around. Her legs, that dangled in the water, swung with the momentum and splashed water on his legs as well as the floor. He quirked a brow at her reaction and watched as she tucked her legs up against her chest. He actually had to keep his eyes from roaming the length of her shaply legs. The woman must not know of how nice they look.

"That was rude, Sesshoumaru!" she bit out while turning to frown at the sharks. They found the situation very amusing. The giggling being her proof.

Sesshoumaru followed her gaze and sat down on the edge beside her, not bothering to miss the saltwater soaking through his jeans where his rear rested. He focused on the sharks and slowly stretched out a hesitant hand. He noticed Tom shift so he could be easily rubbed by the newcomer. Sesshoumaru ran a hand over his rubbery skin and relaxed. The sharks made him nervous, but over time he learned to trust them and knew they wouldn't harm him. He glanced at Kagome and noted her face changing in different expressions. 'She is speaking with them…,' he guessed as she would smile from time to time. He was suddenly jealous of her. What is it like to talk to a creature that most could not?

"What is it like." He stated more than asked.

Kagome focused on his face, unsure of what he spoke of. "What is 'what' like?"

"To talk to them….the sharks." Sesshoumaru answered.

Kagome's orbs widened and then focused on her knees. 'Come on girl! He actually wants to talk to you, get to know you! He is curious about what you can hear in your head.' This thought excited her. Maybe he is interested in her. No one ever showed any care for her. The only reaction she ever got was fear. 'Or he is just curious about talking to sharks. Who wouldn't want to know what it is like. Stop moving ahead of yourself, Idiot!' She looked over at him and decided to do something very few have ever had the chance to do. She would offer to 'Link' with him.

Sesshoumaru didn't think she would tell him. He, himself, knew this was her private world. No one wanted what could be a rare gift and share it willingly to others. "I understand if you don't want to."

"No," she started, "I will tell you, but it would be better…..if….I could show you."

Sesshoumaru arched a brow in question. Show him? "Please, explain."

Kagome straightened her composure and steeled herself. Sesshoumaru looked at her with fiery orbs; so fierce were his eyes, she feared him seeing into her soul. No, she would not make a fool of herself in front of him. She needed to be strong. If he wanted to know, he would have to do as she asked or he would miss his chance at seeing into a mind of a telepath.

"First," she began, "you need to let your barrier down." Kagome watched his reaction carefully, but found that futile when he kept his face void of any emotion. "Then, you will need to let me 'Link' with you."

Sesshoumaru thought about it for a moment. He was curious enough. He just needed to lessen his pride enough to do it. It wasn't a matter of trust. He knew Kagome thought that, but it wasn't just trust. Sesshoumaru had never done something that required help. His pride never let him. Instead, he would always find a way around obstacles that stood in his way. This time, he would be asking for help. There was no other way around it, Sesshoumaru would have to have help.

Keeping his face neutral, he nodded. "Fine, I will do this so you can …. 'Link' with me."

Kagome offered him a wide grin and carefully moved her hand up until it came halfway to his chest. Sesshoumaru watched as she stopped and waited. "Your hand, Sesshoumaru. I need your hand."

Her voice came out small and delicate. Sesshoumaru leveled his eyes with hers, noting her complete concentration, and then moved them to her small fingers, spread out on a upturned palm, waiting for him to take her hand. He slowly moved his much larger hand out and placed it in hers. As soon as their skin connected, Sesshoumaru could feel an electrical current run from his fingers all the way up to his shoulder, allowing after shocks to shot down his spin. The pulses increased when she moved his hand to where it would be more comfortable for the both and entwined their digits together. Sesshoumaru made sure to relax his body and let his barrier fall just enough to let the connection become complete. He wouldn't lie when he found her touch on his hand pleasing.

Kagome tightened her hold on his hand by only a fraction. She made sure to only link so he could hear, not to invade any private thoughts. '**_Okay_**,' she spoke to him, but this time in his head, '**_are you ready_**?'

"Yes," he gently answered. It shook him a little. To hear her in his head felt like a quiet echo.

He watched as her face softened and formed a grin. '**_No, in your head_**.'

Sesshoumaru tried to think on how to talk in his mind and just came to the conclusion of just thinking it out. '**_I am ready_**.'

Kagome's grin grew wider. **_'Great_**!' She turned to Tom and Shi, who have been waiting patiently all this time for them to finish what they were doing.

'**_Tom. Shi. This is Sesshoumaru_**.' Kagome introduced.

'**_Hi Sess_**!' They both greeted with enthusiasm.

Sesshoumaru tightened his hold on Kagome's hand. The voices in his mind started him and he jumped at the volume of the noise.

'**_Not so loud, guys_**.' He heard Kagome scold.

'**_Sorry, Gome_**.' Chimed both fish.

Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru, shifting her legs sideways to a more comfortable position, Sesshoumaru didn't fail to notice how she never lowered her skirt. Her long creamy legs still bear for him to gaze upon.

'**_Ask them a question_**,' she encouraged.

Sesshoumaru shifted his eyes to the sharks and thought about what to say. How hard could this be. Just talk to them. '**_How are you two doing_**.' Okay, it wasn't a neat question, but it would do.

'**_I am doing well, Sess_**.' Shi answered.

'**_Me too_**.' Tom followed.

Sesshoumaru actually found himself smiling at the two. Kagome was right when she said they had a child like mind. They even sounded like children. '**_What do you eat_**?' It was a dumb question, but Sesshoumaru honestly couldn't think of anything worth while to ask the sharks. So he just settled on something interesting to them. Something easy for them to answer.

'**_Fish_**!' They cried out in unison.

He could hear Kagome giggle in his mind at the sudden outburst. Sesshoumaru decided to ask Tom one question that rode his mind for a while now. '**_Tom, why do you like my hair so much_**?'

At first he thought the shark wouldn't answer his question. Tom paused for a moment before announcing his thought on his hair. '**_Sess has pretty hair_**!'

Sesshoumaru actually let his eyes roll. Pretty wasn't something he liked his hair to be called. He narrowed his eyes at Kagome, who couldn't seem to stop her body from shaking, due to her amusement at Tom's answer.

'**_My turn_**!' Tom said with a swift movement from his tail, the only sign of his excitement.

'**_Okay, Tom. Ask your question_**.' Sesshoumaru bided.

'**_Do you like Gome_**?' He asked with childish wonder.

Sesshoumaru raised a silver brow while Kagome paled. The demon really didn't know how to answer the shark's question. He liked her. He even found her arousing to look apon. It was an akward question and it would be really hard to explain to a shark what one felt for another. He also knew Kagome could hear him. He found himself not wanting to hurt her feelings. Before he could even answer, he felt the Link break when Kagome snatched her hand away. Immediately missing her small, but warm hand. The electrical current no longer present. Why did she stop the connection?

"Kagome?" Sesshoumaru answered with a small hint of worry.

Kagome jumped to her feet, the gauze fabric slipping down her legs, and left the room with no understanding on his part for her quick departure. The only thing he could get from her was the smell of fear, embarrassment, and hurt. Sesshoumaru thought about what Tom asked. Did she like him? That must be it. Her reaction pretty much explained it. He felt a small amount of pride at this. She found him attractive. Most women did, but the attraction coming from Kagome meant more to him. Sesshoumaru even found himself caring less for her mortality. For a human, Kagome possessed great beautiy and power.

'**_Good going, hotshot_**.' Shi fussed.

'**_I was only trying to help_**.' Tom whined.

'**_Well now we cant talk to Sess and Kagome didn't even say goodbye to us_**!' She exclaimed with a sharp bump to his head with her nose.

'**_Sorry_**,' Tom said in a small voice. He hoped she wasn't mad at him.


	7. Chapter 7

In Under Deep

A.N. Yay! I am finally updating this story! It will be slowing down now. Ten months have passed and things are going to start happening. I am really glad people are liking this story. Fills me with joy. Remember! I love reviews guys. So let me know what you all think!

Disclaimer: I no own, nor make any money. The only thing that belong to me is the story and my OC characters!

'Shark steaks!' Kagome thought while making a hasty exit out of the lab. 'I will make steaks out of that fish!'

Why did Tom have to ask that? She knew Sesshoumaru didn't like humans. Sure, he tolerated her, but he wouldn't even sit next to her at the mess hall. Perhaps she should have kept that small bit of information to herself, instead of sharing it with a great white.

'I don't think I will be able to look him in the face after this.' Kagome finally got to the cat walk and started punching in the code to open the heavy steel door. 'Maybe I should have stayed and just played it off…No, he would have been able to smell the shift in my scent and make a bigger deal out of it!'

The only good thing she could made of this is that he probably didn't really know why she took off. 'Hopefully, he never will either.'

Kagome started pushing the large lever down so that she could made a full escape when a large clawed hand halted any further movement.

"Wait."

After seeing an amusing display of huge fish nudging each other, Sesshoumaru decided to see why Kagome had taken off. He took in the air around the lab and deciphered her sweet scent from all the other smells of chemicals and sea water.

Locating the direction she had darted off to, Sesshoumaru sped out of the lab and down the corridor. Within seconds, he paused behind the pretty petite empath and covered her tiny hand with his larger one.

"Wait," he told her softly. Sesshoumaru could feel both their auras crackle with the close contact. The feeling not unpleasant, instead, causing a visible shiver to run up his spine. It ended at his scalp, causing small, fine hairs on his neck to stand on end.

He watched the tops of her covered breasts rise and fall in rapid session due to her hasty retreat earlier. Her quickened heart beat echoed in his sensitive ears. Sesshoumaru subconsciously leaned forward and breathed her fresh scent into his flaring nostrils.

God, she smelled good.

The warmth of her small body felt nice against his. His inner beast seemed to agree. Why was he acting this way? Sure he has been attracted to her, but to now feel this longing for her touch again? The only thing he could deduce of these confusing desires was it became even stronger when she connected to his mind. They didn't see into each others heads, but it was the touch that seemed to brew fire into his nerves. Not an unpleasant feeling, but it made his yearning for Kagome become ten-fold.

With his free hand, he reached around and captured her cute pointed chin in his fingers. Sesshoumaru turned her head to the side, effectively pinning her wide deep blue orbs with his fierce amber ones. "Why did you run, Kagome?"

Kagome took a step back, making her back press up against his firm chest. She could feel his body heat flow off of him like a radiator, warming her cooler skin. "I-I…," she hesitated, not wanting to reveal the real reason for leaving. "I don't want to talk about it."

A mischievous grin displayed the tips of his razor sharp fangs while he removed her hand from the lever and fully turned her around to face him. Sesshoumaru didn't let Kagome go. He re-pinned her frame to his and secured his arm around her narrow waist, trapping her. "You may not want to, but you will."

Kagome quaked in his tight embrace. Her pink lips parted to speak, but no sound left them. She could only feel ensnared by his beautiful sun colored irises and the wide wicked grin. A light blush spread nicely on her soft cheeks. The close contact with his perfect body made her feel flustered.

Sesshoumaru inhaled deeply again. This time taking in the spicy scent of her arousal. His demonic side howled in pleasure. It liked this woman in his arms and felt joy in the fact that she desired him. Even he had to admit the growing attraction for her wasn't revolting to him anymore. The past few months with such close contact had softened him. At first he considered this unacceptable, a weakness, but now... It just seemed that over the time of working by her side in the past ten months, her beauty and wonderful scent went from being mildly pleasant to distracting. Sesshoumaru found himself looking forward to spending time with her at work, just so he could smell her. It slowly dawned on him, 'It is like an addiction...her scent...her body...,'

He shifted his gaze to her parted lips and felt an intense need to taste them…to feel the softness that seemed to draw out his baser instincts. Overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of his demon nature, Sesshoumaru gave into his desire and slowly lowered his lips to hers.

Kagome's eyes widened, realizing his intent, but made to move to stop him. A deep part of her wanted this. She wanted him to kiss her. The moment his lips sealed hers, she felt her soul rejoice. Her first kiss…

After few moments of brushing her satiny smooth lips with his, Sesshoumaru gently parted his own and slid his thin canine tongue over her closed mouth. He smirked when she opened up to his light prodding. Swallowing her pleased sigh, he explored her mouth, carefully at first, not wanting to scare her away. When he felt Kagome's delicate hands run up his chest to lock around his neck, he groaned his approval and pressed his mouth firmly to hers.

Kagome drank all he had to offer in his rare moment of tenderness. When she felt Sesshoumaru deepen the kiss, she lightly moaned, enjoying the small tingles forming in her lower abdomen. Her body begged for more of him and Kagome unconsciously pressed her breasts into his firm build, wanting to become one with him.

She felt a vibration and realized it was coming from the dog demon embracing her. The sound was soft, but the sensation carried through her body, making every muscle go on the verge of a jelly like stasis. Kagome found she loved the feel of his contented growl and pressed further into his chiseled body.

Sesshoumaru ran his claws through Kagome's midnight tresses while leaving his other arm around her. Slowly, he backed her up, pressing her to the metal wall. The kiss never missing a beat during the movement, becoming hungry and needy. He felt his large member become hard with desire and couldn't help but grind into her concave belly. To his delight, Kagome whimpered and pressed back into him. Sesshoumaru felt one of her slender legs run up the side of his which prompted him to reach down and lift her knee, enjoying the new access to her heated arousal. He drug his sharpened nails lightly against her silky thigh as he ran his hand up, pushing the gauzy fabric of her skirt away...

A loud electronic beep echoed out and the heavy metal structure swung open. Nicole stepped through, ear phones embedded into her ears and heavy metal music blasting. She didn't hear the straining moans, grunts, and growls. Instead, Nicole got a nose full of strong arousal and the visual of two individuals having an intense make-out session.

"Whoa!" she started, taking in the situation.

Sesshoumaru and Kagome swiftly broke apart. While he put on a air of indifference, Kagome looked like her mother just walked in on her during sex.

Nicole, with her fun loving nature of course, found this very entertaining.

"Well," she stepped around the startled pair with a wide smile. "Don't mind me! Just continue on." With that , the dragon briskly made her way down the corridor. Before Nicole was out of earshot, she called over her shoulder, "You go girl!"

Kagome, already flushed from the heat of her situation, turned a deep cherry. She shifted her stunned gaze back to Sesshoumaru and found him staring at her. The look in his eyes reminded her of a predator about to pounce on his prey.

"Umm..," she squeaked, "I n-need to get to bed."

Sesshoumaru sent her a wicked smirk, but regally nodded his head.

Kagome inched to the door and slipped through it. She crossed the cat walk, adjusting her disarrayed clothing. 'Perhaps a cold shower is in order.'

Sesshoumaru let her get well ahead of him. His blood boiled with need and he took advantage of the solitude to cool down. He secretly thanked Nicole for her unscheduled appearance. Not really welcomed, but if they kept the pace going, he was sure he would have taken her luscious little body right there in the hall.

Taking a few more much needed deep breaths, Sesshoumaru went through the heavy door as well. 'No sleep for me,' he snorted. His painful erection would see to that.

Water….

Cool salt water surrounding her heated body.

Kagome didn't feel it, though. Strong stripped wrists tightly embraced her aroused body, while a silky long tail wrapped around one of her legs. She wasn't idle. Her hands roamed, touched, and memorized all of the bare perfect flesh that currently caged her quivering frame. An unwrapped leg tightly locked around a water slick waist.

Kagome couldn't see it, but felt his well endowed erection brush against her hot core. Between the chilled water and her own natural wetness, he slid easily over her, hitting all the right places. A moan escaped the confines of her slender throat, while a long thin tongue ran up it.

"Let me take you…let me be one with you…," the baritone voice murmured next to her ear.

"Yes," Kagome murmured. "Oh, yes…"

She lazily opened her eyes, looking into the heated gaze of Sesshoumaru's golden orbs. Kagome boldly closed the distance between their lips, locking them in a searing kiss.

Sesshoumaru's heavy length slipped down one last time and positioned himself at her welcoming entrance. With a gentle push, he started to slide his hard shaft into her….

Kagome's eye shot open, taking in the darkness that was her room. She glanced to the only source of light and stared, hypnotized by the wavy designs caused by the water and lights. A jagged sigh left her aroused swollen lips.

"A dream…"

What a wicked dream it was, too. Kagome groggily lifted her head and took in her haggled appearance. A sheet tightly wound around one leg exposing her sweat drenched tank top and panties. Moving the other limb, she noticed sweat wasn't the only thing dampening her under garments. She flopped her head back against the goose down pillow. 'Great! Now I need a bath.'

Kagome glance over at the clock and huffed. It read four in the morning. No. No bath right now. Instead, she slid out of the bed and changed her clothing.

"Damn that demon!" she fussed.

Kagome would safely admit the tall demon wore her out mentally and physically. First, he acts like she doesn't even exist. When he does, it could be compared to an act of God. Then, he has her up against the wall with very wet dreams as an after effect. Well, she couldn't really complain. Her first kiss was beyond fantastic. It made her body burn for him. Just…right now, she needed to think all this stuff over. Physical touch of this nature was very new to her. Never in her life had anyone showed any interest in her. Just about everyone either feared her or were 'just friends'.

Sesshoumaru wasn't even classified as a really good friend. Kagome tried many times to get the stoic demon to open up. Every time she thought she had accomplished her goal, it only back fired in her face. So you can understand her confusion over this new found desire he had shown toward her. Sure, she desired him too, but she didn't know if he meant well or just wanted her for sex. Why would a creature as beautiful as him want someone plain like her?

Sighing, Kagome trudged back to her bed. She would think more on this tomorrow. Right now, she needed rest.

Unlike Kagome, Sesshoumaru couldn't sleep. He found himself wondering the hall thinking about their earlier encounter. His thoughts were erratic and confusing. A part of him wanted the beautiful empath-priestess. The other kept reminding him that she was human. A smirk slowly showed on his thin lips.

'Just like father,' Sesshoumaru thought.

Inuyasha's mother wasn't bad. The woman made sure to treat him the same as her own son. It just bothered him that his father had replaced his mother. 'But your mother died. Did you expect your father to remain alone forever?'

Sesshoumaru rubbed his tired eyes and glanced at his watch. 'Four-thirty in the morning. Just great.'

He had left his room about an hour ago. Kagome's barley distinguishable moans in her sleep caused his mine to delve in an area Miroku would have applauded him for. When deciding that leaving the area would be wise, the walk by her door caused him to falter in his normally graceful step.

Arousal. Strong spicy arousal.

This just hastened his passing. What could the woman be dreaming about? Sesshoumaru secretly hoped it was him she dreamt about. Now he wandered the halls, bored out of his mind. Soon, his wondering brought him to the docking area. Deciding it was better than the dull gray corridors, he opened the heavy door and slipped in. Once inside, he was greeted with a very unusual sight.

Deep brown scales, with an occasional bony spike, ending in a long powerful looking tail, greeted him. It quickly dawned on Sesshoumaru he was facing the ass-end of a dragon. 'What is Nicole doing in her true form?'

A long horned head swung around and peered at him with gray-green swirling orbs. Sesshoumaru lifted his elegant brow as he stepped around her large bulky form. Thankfully, the docking area had plenty of room.

Once clear of his living obstacle, Sesshoumaru noticed Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha standing on the other side of the spacious room. He could only pick up small pieces of the conversation. As he neared the pair, he spied Miroku holding some chewed wires and a dark gray sheet of gnarled metal.

Inuyasha was the first to capture his presence. "Hey, bro," he casually greeted.

Sesshoumaru politely nodded. "Inuyasha."

He stopped just short of the group. Miroku shot him a tired, but welcoming grin. "Sesshoumaru. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep," he gestured towards the damaged material in Miroku's hands. "What happened?"

Miroku passed a worn out sigh. "That is what we're trying to figure out." He waved in Nicole's direction before continuing. "Nicole and Ty were in here already when they noticed the indicator light go off."

Sango noticed his questioning raised brow and broke in the conversation. "The indicator lights are for us to know if something is wrong with the outside of the base."

"Why not a siren or other form of loud warning system?" Sesshoumaru inquired. He couldn't understand why lights were used instead of loud sounds.

Miroku picked the question up, "Well, if we use loud sounds, it would alert anyone doing the tampering. We want to catch them in the act."

Sesshoumaru could understand that. They did have people up at all times of the night, just not that many. "I see."

Once Miroku felt he could continue with the original situation at hand, he raised the destroyed material. "Ty alerted me of the light and now he is out there investigating it as we speak."

"What did the cameras pick up?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Nothing," Inuyasha broke in, "The whole screen to that area is black."

Sesshoumaru nodded and shot a glance over at Nicole. "Why is she in her true form?"

Nicole heard this and raised her scaled head. "Because this is the only place Ty and I can relax in out forms, other than the surface."

Sesshoumaru canted his head aside. 'She can talk in this form.' He nodded his head in understanding and went back to conversing with the small group.

Soon, Ty resurfaced from the large opening. Due to his larger serpent self, the water dragon slopped a large amount of water on the flooring. His dark red eyes focused on the group once he cleared the pool and a bright light engulfed his entire body, shrinking it to his humanoid form.

"Watch what the fuck you are doing, asshole!" Inuyasha swore. Water ran over his shoes, drenching them.

Ty chuckled. "Sorry, Inuyasha. I didn't mean to wet your precious feet." He spotted Sesshoumaru and greeted him before turning his attention to Miroku.

"What did you find?" Miroku asked.

Ty ran a frustrated hand through his wet deep blue locks. "Well, whatever was out there, totally chewed the camera. We will have to replace that as well as the paneling and wiring."

"We can get it tomorrow. Kagome and I are going to the surface. We are going to be getting some new recruits." Sango added.

"Nicole and I will be coming along." Ty mentioned as he turned and made his way over to the dragon.

The four watched as Nicole downsized and left with him. Sesshoumaru turned back to Miroku. "I will accompany you."

"Sure. I know you've been down here for awhile." Miroku answered. He tucked the damaged goods under his arm and bided everyone a good night. Sango followed him and soon that left Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.

He noticed the half-demon glaring at him. "What is your problem, Half-breed?"

Inuyasha worked his nostrils, taking in the faint scent of vanilla, lavender…and spice? "Why do you smell like Kagome?"

Sesshoumaru actually allowed a sly smirk to slip on his features. "That is none of your concern."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. What is his brother up to? "Leave her alone, Sesshoumaru. She has a hard enough life as it is. She doesn't need you coming in and making it worse."

"I have no intention of making her life difficult." Sesshoumaru turned on his heels and left the docking area before Inuyasha had a chance to add anything more.

Inuyasha watched his brother leave and huffed. He wouldn't let that bastard mess with Kagome. He loved her like a sister. No one messed with his sister. Deciding it too late to catch any sleep, he made his way to the shower rooms.

Thirty miles south of the Guppy, rested a large, high tech, submarine. It took quite the collection of brilliant minds, but with promises of large amounts of cash, and perhaps a death threat or two, the ultimate underwater vessel surged to life. The deep, dirty green color blended well with the surrounding ocean. Sleek design and technological advancements ensured stealth from satellites and radars. Big torpedo chutes could be seen on the lower sides. In big, bold silver letters, the name Miasma 1, was the only thing that stood out in its murky surroundings.

The submarine was the home of a very infamous individual. That individual happened to be Naraku Cane; the most wanted half-demon alive. Leader of Spider, the infamous terrorist group, Mr. Cane sought power, corruption, death, and riches. The typical deranged person desiring world domination. The only difference happened to be the known fact he could succeed.

That not only scared America, but a good deal of the other neighboring countries.

The U.S. War Alliance, a supposed classified group, worked with other countries for more advanced methods in weapons of mass destruction. Their creative minds working for a weapon more affective than nuclear bombs. Yes, the bombs provided with the desired effectiveness of wide spread destruction, but it took years to clean the mess and sometimes damages couldn't be reversed. An understandable concern for all involved.

Consequently, America brainstormed and decided chemical weapons could be used instead. Anyone can poison or disease the air and water, but they wished to take it one step further. America wanted a chemical that could not only poison, but consume as well. The nastiest creation as of yet. The Shikon Effect. A chemical so deadly and destructive that it only took a few ounces to wipeout a community. Just imagine what a couple of gallons could do to a country. The U.S. could. And although highly controversial to the rest of the alliance, they found this a very affective resource to ending wars and terrorists battles.

So all, those not wanting to be left in the dark and have no decisive control, decided that the U.S. had something going and pitched in, sending the greatest minds to work together in creating the Shikon Effect. The brilliant minds needed protection, so a secrete base was made. Sticking it in the ocean provided in safer keeping. Though, it didn't take a genius to realize it only took a small accident to possibly destroy the whole ocean, but that is what power hungry countries were willing to risk.

The U.S. War Alliance thought all bases were covered, protected, quite sure of themselves and all the high tech devices, that the Guppy would stay unknown and secure…

They couldn't have been more wrong.

"Sir."

A beautiful wind demoness stood in a door way. She held her head high in confidence, red lipstick and dark eye shadow giving her an erotic appeal. Long dark locks hung loose and ended mid-back. Her full body black leather suit hugged suggestively to her tall slender form. Spike high heels added to the elegant amazon's height. Tucked in a loop by her side, rested a red and black folded fan. The only weapon she carried and needed. Ruby eyes bore into the ones much like her own. Her creator, Naraku Cane.

"Kagura," he greeted, running an elegant fingers through his own wavy raven locks, "what news do you bring?"

Kagura slightly shifted, hating being close to his miserable existence. "Jon has returned from his mission."

"Very well, Kagura, bring him to me." Naraku waved for her dismissal and leaned back in his leather seat, crossing his dark slack-clad leg over the other.

After a few minutes, a large demon entered the small makeshift office. He had to duck in order to pass through the steel doorway. Solid black eyes focused forward on his leader relaxing in his favorite chair. Three rows of teeth gritted together in dislike. Being a shark demon, Jon's eye sight was poor, but his olfactory and sensory system were more than accurate. The strong smell almost proved to be a nuisance and the abnormal power emanating from the terrorist leader prickled his nerves in an irritable fashion.

"Master."

With a wave to the chair sitting opposite of Naraku, Jon approached and seated himself in front of his boss. "I have done as you requested. The damage has been done."

"Excellent work, Jon." Naraku's current objective was to get the two great white sharks out of his way. The large fish constantly secured the perimeter of the enormous base, making it difficult for unknown outside entry. From the information Will obtained, the base's head tech suspected the sharks responsible for the damage to the outer base.

An evil smirk formed on Naraku's handsome features as he studied his underling seated before him. Jon was perfect for the job. His large head, always in his heritage shape, bared the teeth similar to the great whites. This offered him the ability to do the desired damage without being in his large true form.

"I will have you do this again in two more weeks." Naraku gracefully rose from the chair and approached the thick pressurized plexi-glass before him, staring out into the blackness of the ocean. "You are dismissed for now."

Jon mentally sighed in relief and exited the room in what he hoped appeared calm. The less time around his boss, the better.

Naraku went back to his desk and pressed a blue button resting off to the side. Soon, a emotionless female voice echoed out into the quiet space. "Yes, Naraku?"

"Kanna, set quadrants to the island. We will need to restock our supplies…and I have some business that must personally be handled." Naraku made himself comfortable. It would be a good two days before they arrived in the uncharted piece of land out in the middle of the Atlantic.

Plenty of time to develop more plans in obtaining the much desired Shikon Effect.


	8. Chapter 8

In Under Deep

A.N. OMG! The shit that has been going on. No sites are up, bothersome house cleaning, college, work…. It is enough to make me scream! Hopefully, everything will return to normal. Or as normal as my life can get. Remember! Review! I love them! It makes me feel special. If you want to see what I look like, go to myspace! Here is the URL http/ Look under the pics and you will get a better look at my face. LOL don't be scared!

Disclaimer: I don't own them nor do I make money. Leave me alone!

Hot, steamy water splashed against her body. It felt divine and heavenly. The women's shower room still had a small chill to it, leaving goose bumps in the areas of Kagome's skin that still needed the caress of the warm water. She turned her back to the shower, letting the neglected skin experience the same treatment the front experienced. It caused a goofy grin and a shaky sigh to slip past her lips.

Sango giggled at Kagome's blissful expression. The woman just had to have her hot showers. "You know, Kagome," Sango started while picking up her favorite bar of rose scented soap, "you sound like you are having an orgasm."

Kagome blushed in Sango's direction. "I am doing nothing of the sort! It just feels good."

"Sure, whatever." Sango playfully replied.

Kagome rolled her eyes and went back to her task of saturating her body for morning washing. Today they were going to the surface. Something she hadn't done in three years. Yes, a long time with no sun, but down here she didn't have to try so hard at keeping others out of her head. That always gave her a major headache.

She felt very energized, though. Yesterday, Kagome took a day off. No work. No interacting with others. _ No Sesshoumaru_. Nope, like a cowardly little girl, she hid from Sesshoumaru instead of facing him like a grown-up. She just couldn't help it. Really! All this was very new to her, and the way he affected her body was very intense. Last night, she had another dream about him. Wet dreams are not what she needs right now. There are too many other things she needs to worry about. Not a hot, sexy, dog demon….with sculptured abs…and tasty lips…

Great, now she is doing it again.

Shaking her head, Kagome focused back on what she was doing at hand. _Cleaning_. She is wet enough as it is. Suddenly, a shrill screech and a flying bar of soap in the opposite direction, caused her to see what was bothering Sango.

"You damn perv!" Sango screamed, "Get out of here now!"

Kagome immediately caught Miroku half covering his eyes. "I am so sorry, my dear Sango! I thought I was heading towards the men's shower area!"

"Yeah, right! I was born, Miroku, but not yesterday!" Sango fumed.

Kagome covered herself up as much as she could and hid behind Sango. "Damn it, Miroku! Sango isn't the only one in here, you know!"

A clawed hand could be seen grabbing Miroku's arm and yanking the biologist out of the room. Soon, an angry gruff voice followed. "You stupid perv! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Got to love Inuyasha. Kagome felt the blood tingle in her cheeks from the second blush that morning. God, she hated being so damn _sensitive_ to embarrassing situations. Sometimes, she wished she could be more like Sango, or better yet, Nicole. Nothing fazed the dragon. Hell, if she felt like it, and Ty wouldn't voice a complaint, Kagome was sure Nicole would run around with nothing on. Now that was a very funny mental picture. She couldn't help the small giggle escaping after that thought.

"What are you laughing about?" Sango wanted to know.

Kagome shook her head, "Nothing."

Both women continued to clean, not really paying attention to what was going on around them. They could hear the men in the other room, but nothing really clear. Soon, loud music blasted from the looker room.

"Well, look what the cat drug in." Sango smirked.

"Hey Nicole!" Kagome shouted over the music and running water.

"Hey!" Nicole shouted back before sauntering in the shower room with a towel wrapped around her curvy body.

Heavy metal radiated through out the area. Nicole didn't mind one bit. She even danced to the fast paced music. "Woo!" She shouted, loving the feel of the newly turned on shower and obviously much loved song playing on her CD player.

"Fuck! Nicole, turn that shit down!" Inuyasha screamed over into their shower room.

"Hell no, dog boy!" Nicole shouted back. Kagome and Sango started laughing. The whole thing was proving to be too funny.

Laughter started coming out of the men's side. "Ty, do something about your damn woman!"

"Sorry man, no can do." The serpent replied.

All three females giggled and returned to scrubbing. A song came on that Nicole obviously loved, for she started singing at the top of her lungs. Soon, all of them, much to Inuyasha's dismay, joined in.

Sesshoumaru Grabbed up his fluffy white towel and a fresh pair of clothes. Ty mentioned earlier that the weather was going to be warm. A Tee-shirt and jeans would be fine for the outing. His inner beast delighted in soon being out in the open. Fresh clean air and sunlight would do wonders for him.

It wasn't like he didn't love the ocean. He is a marine biologist. But the nice smell of fresh air, not by a city, just called to his more primal side. It made him desire to shift, transform into his other form. Perhaps he would…

Sesshoumaru shook his head and opened his door. Before thinking about parading around in his other form, he needed to get a shower. Last night was full of wet dream galore. Something Sesshoumaru just _didn't_ do. He is over a thousand years old. Dreaming of sex is something he did when he was forty. Not that he would tell anyone. Another thing he would _never _do.

Just thinking of Kagome's hot curves and slender body threaten to heat his dark blood all over again. The little sneak decided to skip out on him and her work yesterday, too. Childish. Something Sesshoumaru was going to make sure to pick on when he saw the empath again.

As he made his way to the shower room, he smelled the food from the Mess Hall. A small rumble reminded him that it might be wise to eat before he left. He neglected to eat yesterday. A strange thing considering he once prided himself on having refined metal control.

That seemed to have gone down the toilet when he kissed Kagome.

Right as he got to the shower room entrance, loud thunderous music could be heard. Nicole no doubt. Well, he would simply turn off the loud nuisance when he got inside.

The blasting rifts made him wince when he entered the room. A song, that he could barely make the words out, grated on his very last nerve. He reached over to switch it off and paused midreach.

"WOOHOO! AND WHEN YOU HEAR HEAVY METAL! WOOHOO!…."

Right then and there, Sesshoumaru decided that eating first would be a wise decision. Bathing could wait.

"Alright everyone! Gather round!" Miroku called out. He stood up on one of the minisubs, over looking the small group patiently waiting to board. "We are going to the surface now. Once up there, Sango, Nicole, Ty, and I will be going to main office to retrieve the parts we need. We can hang out for a while, go shopping, anything else we need to do until six. After that, we will meet up with our new crew members."

Inuyasha turned to Kagome, "Make sure those damn fish know to go into the tank."

The empath glared at her longtime friend, but didn't say anything. Yesterday, she was informed of what had happened and was made to pin her friends up while they were away. Something she fought tooth and nail over, but lost anyway.

Kagome walked over to the large opening in the docking bay and briefly closed her eyes. Soon, Shi and Tom showed themselves, looking more menacing then they really were. A large grin spread over Kagome's face.

"**_Gome!" _**Both greeted excitedly.

"**_Hey guys." _**Kagome welcomed.**_ "I need both of you to do me a big favor, okay?"_**

"**_Anything, Gome." _**Shi chirped.

Kagome felt like hell asking them to stay pinned up while she was away, but until all this mess passed, it was the only thing she could do. **_"I need you guys to stay in the holding tank until I get back. Can you do that for me?"_**

Tom rolled slightly onto his side, eyeing Kagome with his big black eye. **_"Why, Gome?"_**

'Damn, Inuyasha.' She leaned forward and rubbed his large nose affectionately. **_"Because…some things have come up and I need you two to stay in there while I am gone."_**

"**_What things?" _**Shi asked.

Kagome hide her anger and guilt.**_ "I will explain it when I get back, okay?"_**

If both could grin, they would. **_"Sure, Kagome. We will do what you want."_**

"_**Great. Ty will let you in and he will be locking the tank up. Now go on and I will bring you both back a nice treat."**_

Both great whites gave off a childish cheer and disappeared back in the dark ocean. Kagome just stood there for a moment, feeling like shit for having to do such things to two creatures that basically were children. She felt dirty and wrong.

A clawed hand shook her from her depressing mussing and she lifted sad dark eyes to meet Sesshoumaru's. "We will be back and then they can be let out."

Kagome was shocked at what she saw in the deep gold orbs. Instead of the normal intense gaze, there was softness, almost understanding within them. She couldn't help but smile. "I know."

"Come on you two! We ain't got all damn day!" Inuyasha's gruff voice called out.

'So much for the small, rare tender moment.' Kagome thought sarcastically and reluctantly pulled away from Sesshoumaru's warm hand to join the others.

Ty opted to swim beside the two minisubs. He never really got a chance to swim for the hell of it, and being in his true form just made it better. Powerful muscles moved through the saltwater, aiding him in sure, graceful movements. His blue scales seemed to glow in his dull, murky surroundings and it added to the beauty of watching him.

Kagome leaned over in her seat, watching out the small window provided for her. Since Nicole was maneuvering the sub, Ty swam close to its side, stealing glances at his love with deep red eyes. Kagome found that endearing. The two really did love each other.

A soft sigh passed her slightly parted lips as she quietly watched the two. One day, she too, hoped to possess such a love. The kind of love that would make you kill for the one you held so dear in your heart. She just hoped one day would come soon.

"Is the sea dragon that interesting?"

Kagome started at the low smooth beside her. She swiftly turned a questioning glance at the dog demon beside her. "Huh?"

Sesshoumaru smirked. So far this ride proved to be dull. Now would be a great time to unleash his plan of ultimate revenge. I Picking On Kagome. /I "You seem to be observing Ty with great persistence."

"Well," Kagome began, feeling embarrassed for being caught staring. "I just think he is pretty."

"Pretty?" Sesshoumaru tilted his mouth a little more at this. "What would Nicole think if she heard you call her…what was it? Ah! Yes. Her 'Hot hunk of dragon beef' pretty?"

Kagome shot her widening eyes to the little dragon bobbing her head to some music on her ear phones. A sigh of relief left her lips at realizing Nicole wasn't listening to their conversation. "Well, she didn't hear me, so I don't see what the damage could possibly be."

"I could remedy that." The dog demon lifted his clawed hand up and stretched it across the small distance between the front and back seating areas.

"NO!" Kagome shrieked. She grabbed onto his arm and pulled with all her might to stop him.

Nicole stopped her head bobbing and yanked down her earphones. "What is it?" She asked, frantic for a moment. Her long bangs shifted to one side of her face when she swung her head around, trying to figure out what the sudden commotion was about.

Kagome reddened and continued to cling to Sesshoumaru's arm. Nicole took in the clawed hand a few inches from her face and raised a questioning brow. "Is there something I need to know?"

"Ye-" Sesshoumaru opened his mouth, but suddenly stopped. **_"Sesshoumaru, if you tell her I will make your life a living hell." _**The feminine voice echoed out in his head. He slowly lowered his hand and leaned back in the seat, but let Kagome continue to cling on to his arm. He found he liked the contact. "No, Nicole, everything is fine."

Nicole took in their entwined arms and smirked. "Was I interrupting something?"

"N-no!" Kagome flustered out and yanked her arms away.

"Well, at least I get a room." Nicole teased. She turned around in her seat and continued to pilot the craft, pulling up her headphones.

Kagome shot an annoyed glance and Sesshoumaru. **_"You are a prick! I cant believe you were going to tell her that."_**

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in mild irritation, then in surprise. Kagome wasn't touching him anymore. **_"I thought you had to touch me to do that."_**

"**_To do what?" _**She shot back.

"_**Talk in my mind."**_

Kagome formed an evil grin on her face. **_"I can do a lot with my ability. You just don't know all of what I can do."_**

Sesshoumaru found he didn't like that. Not because he trust her or feared her, but because he didn't like not knowing something like this from Kagome. He just thought she could only do that to animals. **_"I still have my barrier up."_**

Kagome silently scoffed**_."So. I can still project my voice in your head."_**

"**_That may be, but I still don't like you doing that." _**Sesshoumaru faced forward again, idly watching their progress to the surface.

"**_You can be such a jerk, you know that? I am not digging around in your head. I am just talking to you. You are acting like the others." _**Kagome felt like hitting him, but just settled on clenching her fists instead. It wouldn't help to loose her cool in front of Sesshoumaru. He would only use it against her later.

Sesshoumaru felt her aura flare and chanced a glance in her direction. She shinned a dim blue, giving her an iridescent appearance. It added to her beautiful onyx hair and creamy complexion.

He felt bad at that moment. 'Acting like the others…' That stung him. He didn't want her thinking that way about him. He wasn't acting like other ignorant beings. He just didn't like not knowing things about people.

Nicole yanked her earphones off of her head again, this time in anger, and turned around in her seat. She could feel the flair in Kagome's aura and it caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. "What is going on back there? Do I have to turn this sub around?"

Kagome crossed her arms and turned her head to the side. "No, Nicole. Sesshoumaru is just being his jerky self." That comment earned her an 'hn,' from the said dog demon, but she ignored it.

"Is that all? Will you two please behave? I knew I should have made you two sit in separate subs." The dragon turned back in her seat and shoved her headphones back on.

Sesshoumaru didn't like being talked down to, but kept his mouth shut. No point in getting Nicole worked up. When you did that, she never kept her mouth shut. As for Kagome, well, he decided to leave her alone for now. Her anger was rare, but not welcomed when it reared its ugly head.

When they got to the surface, they met up with an extravagant cruiser. All of them boarded it and enjoyed the soft, warm breeze playing against their hair and bodies. Ty remained in the water, swimming along side the boat. Nicole stayed at the railing, talking to him from time to time. Miroku and Sango chatted with the captain and grabbed some refreshments that resided in a cooler full of ice, while Kagome and Inuyasha argued about nonsense subjects. Sesshoumaru resided near the front of the boat, catching bits and pieces of the conversations going on about him.

Long silver stings of hair danced in the wind. The sun from the clear blue sky reflected off of it, causing it to sparkle and shine. He raised his head some, letting the breeze fill his nose. It smelled so good. He always loved the smell of it. The way the ocean mixed with the sun-warmed air. It gave him a sense of freedom.

He never minded taking his boat out on long assignments. Being a biologist was his thing. The open ocean his life. Being a lord in Japan had noting on this. Back in his younger years, he wanted power, strength, and respect. Except for the respect, he wanted nothing to do with the rest of it. He traded all that in when he left Japan and came over to America back in the 1800s. There he learned about all sorts of things at their universities. They had things that Japan didn't. As time when on, so did technology. He kept going back to college, learning as much as he could. Inuyasha soon joined him. Instead of taking in every subject he could, he choose to stick with the computers. Inuyasha loved anything that beeped, downloaded, and just plain electronically worked.

It wasn't until 1990, that Sesshoumaru found his real love. The love of ocean life. He always loved the ocean, but it wasn't until he really started to study it, did he find he could really stay with it. So the ocean it was. He stopped going to college for things that didn't pertain to marine biology and he studied all that was available so he could be better in the field.

After winning the Nobel Prize, he became really known out there in the science community. Two years later, he went back to Japan and lived a comfortable life. He worked for different companies, not really staying with any for very long. It seemed like he needed a different challenge. Once one thing was finished, he would just leave at the next offer for a new opportunity. If it weren't for the fact he had gone two years without any activity or challenge, he would have never excepted the deal the US Government offered him.

Sesshoumaru had to admit it. This had to be the toughest thing he has ever done. Kagome and Miroku really created some unique things. For humans, they were very smart and creative. Although, he wouldn't have created poisonous things, or monstrous genetically enhanced sharks.

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru seemed to be off in his own world. She found herself really curious about what brewed in his mind. Two days ago still rocked her world. The kiss seemed to be imbedded in her mind sinuously. So one could understand how she felt when Sesshoumaru sat down beside her in the sub, making her blush for about fifteen minutes.

Dumb really. She shouldn't feel ashamed about it. It was him that started the kiss, not her. He was the one that made the pass at her. When she noticed that he was just going to sit there like a log, she occupied herself with other things. Kagome hoped it would stay like that for the whole trip, but as fate would mockingly have it, Sesshoumaru decided to make her life chaotic again.

A soft smile formed on her face. She really didn't mind him teasing her. It was just how he did it that hurt her so. Perhaps it made her childish, but that small kid like part of her wanted him to pick on her. She wanted Sesshoumaru to like her. But it had to be the mature part of her that seemed to ruin her childish fantasy. He is a demon. Something she knows well is demons love challenges. Did he think her as just a challenge? Did he not really care about her? He has such a way at hiding he expressions and there was no way she could get into his head. 'I guess I will just have to wait…'

"Stop staring at that fancy poodle and pay attention to what I am saying!"

Kagome jumped. Shock written plainly on her face. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I was just thinking."

"Feh," Inuyasha huffed and pushed away from the railing. "Yeah, whatever. He isn't worth your time, Kagome. Stay away from him." With that said, he walked away from her, opting to go below the deck the remaining time.

Kagome kept staring off in his direction long after he went under. What did he mean Sesshoumaru wasn't worth her time? Inuyasha could be so frustrating. Kagome frowned her brows, trying to understand why Inuyasha would warn her off from his emotionaly retarted brother. It couldn't be his personality he feared. Both could really use some work on that. Inuyasha was on his period all the time and Sesshoumaru was impacted with a giant stick. Still, why would it be any of his businesss anyways? Why would he even care? 'Men,' she huffed.

As soon as the boat docked, Nicole gave a shout of excitement and stretched out her large leathery wings. With a great leap, she flew into the air and landed on the sandy beach. Nicole had no shame. She pulled off her clothing and transformed into her other form. Ty lumbered onto the beach beside her and rubbed his metalicy blue body against her dark shimmery brown one. A rumble of pleasure vibrated the near area and the two lay down on the sun-roasted sand.

Sango giggled at the two and started walking out to were they rested. "Nicole, Ty, you both know you need to come with us to the headquarters."

Nicole opened a lazy swirly eye and grunted. "No, I don't want to go."

"Then, Ty, you have to come with us." Sango reasoned.

"I think I will have to agree with my love. I don't wish to go either." With that said, Ty rolled over on his side and shut his blood red eyes.

Sango turned to Kagome and Miroku as they got off the dock. "They refuse to come," she said with a shrug. "I guess Miroku, Inuyasha, and I can go by ourselves."

Kagome could understand why both dragons refused to go. Being pinned down in the base for so long would make any creature reluctant to do otherwise. "I can go with you guys if you want."

"That is ok, Kagome. We can manage." Miroku said.

"Yeah, Kagome, go have some fun at one of the shops or something." Inuyasha added as he came up behinde the group, Sesshoumaru following silently behind him.

"I guess." She thought for a moment.

"Yeah, Kagome! That would be fun! You haven't shopped in a while. Go do it. My jeep is still in the parking lot. Here is the keys. I put a full tank of gas in it the last time I came up here." Sango dropped her keys in Kagome's hand and started off in the direction of a black Lincon Towncar, parked not too far from the her bright yellow Jeep.

"When do you want me to be back?" Kagome called after them.

"Sometime before six!" Miroku shouted back.

Kagome looked at the keys in her hand and reached into the pocket of her shorts, making sure she had her wallet. Shopping wouldn't do any good if she didn't have any money. After checking on that, she glanced back at the car keys. "It has been awhile since I have driven."

She didn't say it to anyone in particular, more to herself. So she was surprised when Sesshoumaru answered her.

"I can drive if you wish." Sesshoumaru offered. To be honest to himself, he just wanted to go with her. For one, being here with the captin of the cruzer and two dozing dragons, just didn't seem much fun. The second reason was he just wanted to go with her. The idea of being in her company pleased not only his beast, but himself as well.

Kagome wasn't sure if she wanted the dog demon to come with her. She was still slightly miffed at how he acted in the sub. Instead of answering him right away, she just shrugged her shoulders and started off towards the Jeep. It wasn't until she noticed the Jeep was a stick shift, did she finally turn to Sesshoumaru. "Here, you will have to drive. I cant drive a stick."

Sesshoumaru smirked and smoothly took the keys from her outstretched hand. "Why am I not surprised."

Kagome instantly bristled at the remark. "What is that supposed to mean!"

Sesshoumaru ignored her and climbed into the SUV. He frowned at having his knees hit the dashboard. It didn't surprise him. Sango is a good deal shorter than him. He pushed the seat back and looked expectantly at Kagome. "Are you going to get in, or perhaps you wish to walk the fifteen miles to the nearest town."

Kagome gritted her teeth and stomped over to pasenger side. She forcibly opened the door and plopped down in the brown leather seats.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but grin at her childish manners. This day out is definatly going to be fun.


	9. Chapter 9

-1In Under Deep

_A.N. Here is the next chapter. I have been very tired lately, even a little sick. But that will get better over time. I am glad you all like how the fic is going so far. I was a little worried that after not working on it you all wouldn't like it. I also see it has gotten some love! Yay! Remember guys, review! It makes me feel special. Death likes feeling special._

She would be excellent in torture. Yes. Kagome has much talent in this field. Bet she could get anyone to talk after three hours of this. To bad she didn't live when he was ruling. He could have used her in many of his wars. Wouldn't even have to dirty his nice clothing. Just have her do her unique ways of getting all the info out of his past enemies. Yup, she is pure unadulterated evil. Perhaps she is even more evil then he has ever been.

Oh no! She is walking this way again. Why did he come? Why is he putting himself through this? Sure he really liked her, but for this? If there is a god out there, please, please come and save me. It has been three hours! Three hours of hell! When is it going to end?

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome smiled brightly, showing him a skirt she found that caught her eye. "What do you think of this one?"

Sesshoumaru sat there and eyed the brightly colored fabric. It didn't help that it was covered in sparkly sequences. The overhead florescent lights only aided to it as a glaring object of evil. There was no way she was going to wear that. "It is unacceptable."

"It is unacceptable," she grumbled in a mocking voice. Perhaps she should have drug Nicole out with them. She, at least, would have been more helpful in picking out clothing.

After putting the piece of clothing back on the rack, she turned to him and propped her hands on her hips. "Okay then, since you have objected to all the items I have shown you, why don't _you_ tell me what to get."

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant brow at this. Pick her clothing? He took in the long skirt she currently wore for this outing. She always wore clothing that covered her body. With legs like that it should be a crime. Not that he was a perv…. "First, we need you to stop pulling out clothing that a grandmother would wear."

"What!" Kagome fumed. How dare he say such things to her? She didn't dress like an old woman.

"I do believe you heard me correct. Follow me." With that, Sesshoumaru gracefully rose and walked past her, heading to a different part of the clothing store.

Miroku pulled into the parking lot and turned the engine off. Inuyasha had been dozing in the backseat, but his eyes instantly opened when the motor cut off. "We finally here?" He gruffly asked.

"Yes, Inuyasha, we are here now." Sango replied while opening the heavy door.

"Good. Now lets go and get this shit over with. I don't want to waist my day here at this stuffy building." Inuyasha opened the door a little too hard, shaking the long vehicle. 

"Damn it, Inuyasha, take it easy! I paid a lot of money for this thing." Miroku walked around to his side, inspecting it for any damage.

"It's a fucking whale! I wouldn't have paid so much for it." He crossed his arms in front of him, impatiently tapping his sandal clad foot.

"When was the last time you had a car anyway, Inuyasha." Sango asked while heading for the large glass doors of the drab looking brick building.

"I think it was back in the 80's. I cant really remember."

"It must be nice coming from a rich family that can afford to be _chauffeured_ around." Miroku sarcastically remarked. He remembered all the times he had been to his house and the limos that were readily available for the family's beck and call.

"Feh."

The elevator ride was dull and slow. It didn't help matters that horrid music flowed in the background. Really, when was the last time anyone put music in elevators, anyway? Finally getting to the top floor, the small group stepped off and took an immediate left. The halls were a drab yellow and they passed three dark brown doors until they stopped at a set of double doors.

Miroku opened the door and they walked up to the receptionist. "Hey Rin! How are you doing this fine day?"

Rin rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. A lone strand of dark brown hair fell from her well kept bun. "Well, it was doing great until _you_ walked in." She teased.

Sango giggled and Miroku faked his feelings being hurt. "But Rin, I thought you loved me?"

"You know I only love one man, and that is Gorge."

At hearing his name, the tall general walked out of the office and smiled. "Ah! You all have arrived." He looked around and only noticed the three. "Where is Ty?" 

"Feh, the serpent decided that sun bathing with his _'One True Love'_ was more important." Inuyasha offered. He plopped down on a vacant chair and propped his legs up on the coffee table in front of him.

Gorge was one of the few militants that had a softer side. That changed when you crossed him, but other then that, he was very laid back. "Well," he started as he scratched the top of his blond short hair, "I guess we can just do this stuff without him."

He entered his office and came back out with a large box of materials that were ordered for the base repairs. "Here is the supplies you and Ty ordered."

Miroku retrieved the surprisingly heavy box and walked over to the coffee table, casually pushing Inuyasha's legs out of the way. A growl of displeasure was all he thankfully received from him. Sango checked everything off on the printed up paper Rin handed her of the inventory in the box. 

After they finished, Miroku and Sango politely conversed with Rin and Gorge a little longer. The couple were nice and always a pleasure to work with. Just as they were about to leave, an older General stormed into the office and sneered at the people occupying it.

"Well, well," He started as he shoved his hat under his muscular arm. "Look who is here."

Sango decided to be more civilized and nodded a greeting. "General Sall."

He gave her a curt nod and then distastefully looked at Inuyasha. His _dislike_ for something other then _humans_ very evident. "I see you were smart by not bringing that foul dragon with you."

Inuyasha's ears laid flat back on his head and a snarl escaped his thinned lips. Miroku wisely stepped between the two. He knew all too well why General Sall disliked Nicole. Two years ago, they had to attend a function. It was more of a ball style event, and it was one that Kagome opted to stay behind on. She didn't have any formal clothing and wouldn't take any offered to her. Miroku thanked every god for that. Nicole was hard enough to handle. He didn't need Kagome adding to the fire. Sall disliked her as well.

Nicole was chatting and had a few too many drinks. It appeared dragons cant hold liquor very well. She started getting louder and more boisterous as time went on. Ty, himself, was tipsy and wasn't much help in handling her. Miroku wasn't sure what had been said or what had transpired between the two to make them start to argue, but soon, the general and Nicole were having a very nasty argument.

To cut it short, she simply told him that he could "Lick her dry" and it seemed to be the straw that broke his camel's back. The military police had to escort both out of the premises and the whole group went home two hours early. The whole event had been an awful disaster.

"General Sall!" Miroku greeted. "How nice it is to see you again. I hope you have been doing well."

"I was doing well until I entered here." Sall sneered.

"Well, we were just going. Right, Miroku?" Sango hastily added.

"That's right, my dear." Miroku nervously smiled. He lifted the large box and shoved it into Inuyasha's arms. "Here, Yash, you can carry this for me. It is much too heavy for me." From the look on his face, he needed something to preoccupy his claws with.

Inuyasha clumsily gripped the box and rose from his seat. Miroku pushed him towards the door and gave a hasty goodbye to the occupants in the office. Sango followed suit.

"That was a close call," Sango murmured to Miroku as they were a few paces from the office.

"Yes, it was." He answered as he continued leading his best friend to the elevators.

"You can quit now!" Inuyasha huffed. He hated being shoved around like a kid.

She humored him. Even though she didn't want to, she humored him. But this was just going too far. "I refuse to wear this."

Sesshoumaru raised an amused brow. He studied his work of art and had to admit it. Kagome looked totally hot. Something he doesn't say about human females. "I think you look adequate in it. You have suitable legs and they deserve to be shown."

Kagome frowned her brows. Adequate? Suitable? Should she be insulted by this, or complimented? She guessed, for the hateful dog demon, it should be taken as a compliment. "I guess I will say _thank you._"

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but give off a small chuckle. "Your Welcome."

"I still wont wear this." Her reflection in the mirror was something she wasn't used to. Kagome didn't wear short skirts. It just didn't suit her. It wasn't like she wore a swimsuit underneath. She just had her panties on. What if the wind became hard and blew it up? Oh God, that would be totally embarrassing. She could just imagine all the laughter, not only vocal, but mental as well, echoing out in her head.

"You will." Sesshoumaru said matter-of-factly. "Now come, I think we should go now. Five hours of shopping is more than enough for me to have to endure. I already don't like it and you have made me realize how I dislike it even more with you."

Kagome spun around, her short flowered skirt flowing out, reviling even more leg. "You are a huge jerk! I would have been done two hours ago if you hadn't insisted on me wearing these… miniskirts!"

"I assure you, Kagome, these are not miniskirts. Although I wouldn't mind seeing you in one. I think they are located over in that rack over there." A very uncharacteristic thing for him to say, but she was riled up and it was exciting his darker half.

"That is it!" She huffed. No more. She refused to take this out of him anymore. He has to be making fun of her. She was just sure of it. "I am changing back into my clothes and we are leaving. My old clothes are just fine!"

Sesshoumaru stepped in front of her, successfully blocking the path to the dressing rooms. He bent over to the tag hanging on the side and ripped it off. "Now you have to buy it."

"You bast-," Kagome stopped when she had what appeared to be laughing ringing through her head. She quickly shook her head and glanced around her. Almost everyone in the store were watching the scene her and Sesshoumaru displayed. _'Stop it now. People are looking.'_ She sent.

Sesshoumaru canted his head to the side and allowed his golden eyes to follow hers. One thing he hated was causing scenes. Now he has. This is something he expected out of Inuyasha, not him. He iced his gaze at the spectators and it had an immediate affect. Everyone that met his frosty look turned away, going back to their own businesses.

He took a deep cooling breath and focused back on the empath. _'You will buy this, if not, I will.'_

Kagome narrowed her deep blue eyes at him. _'I will not and nor will you!'_

A challenge. Something this human has failed to understand or she wouldn't have spoke to him in such a way. You don't challenge a dog demon. Especially him. _'Is that a challenge, Kagome?'_

Kagome felt her self pale some more at what he asked. This is not Ty, Nicole, or even the other demons she worked with. She learned a hard lesson in the past with Inuyasha about challenging dog demons. They were just too hard pressed to get their ways. _'N-no. I am stating a fact.'_ She took a step back and tried to look defiant by crossing her arms in front of her.

The silver dog smirked and took a step closer to her. She was backing up, trying to keep space between them. Not going to happen. _'Were are you going, Kagome? Your not…afraid, are you?'_

Kagome's eyes widened, then narrowed again. _'No! I am not!'_ she sent with her finger pointing at him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could just see more people staring at her because of moving arms and glaring looks at each other. It must have looked strange with no words following the rough movements.

Sesshoumaru took in the finger a few inches from his face. Pointing? Kagome is pointing at him? Oh, now it is war. _'I think you are empath. I will have to show you that you DO NOT challenge a dog demon. More importantly, me.'_

With an evil smile, allowing some fang to show, he opened his mouth and caught her finger between his teeth. It wasn't meant for pain, just to trap her digit. He ran his canine tongue over the tip of her finger, tracing around her dull human nail and small finger pad. Doing this, he could sense all sorts of emotions fly through her slender body. Nervousness, fright, confusion, surprise, and the most unexpected one, arousal. He tugged on her finger and drew more into his mouth. His darker side growled in delight and wanted to continue this growing sensual game.

Kagome couldn't help it. She truly felt turned on by this simple action and she found her breath doubling its normal speed. All was lost when he bit her finger. Now he artfully sucked it and it was doing things to her body she had no idea could happen. A tingle shot down her arm and it ran straight between her legs. She felt her body warm and her cheeks flush. Her heart seemed to pump at a maddening pace now and her whole body visibly quaked. "S-stop…," she whispered.

'No.' Sesshoumaru sent to her. He captured her wrist and released her finger. His long, thin tongue slipped out and started a slow lick down her wrist to her slightly bent elbow. He grinned at her soft moan. His golden eyes penetrated hers and locked, keeping her gaze trapped by his.

Kagome couldn't stop the soft moans leaving her throat even if she tried. It was getting to be too much. The aching between her legs became too much and she pressed her them together. This action caused an unwanted groan to leave her lips. With sensual amazement, she watched as his sun-kissed eyes darkened. They became beautiful and she couldn't look away if her life depended on it. She lifted her freed hand and traced the narrow strips that adorned his perfect face. That was where things got really…complicated.

Sesshoumaru felt his eyes start to bleed red. His beast wanted this. Wanted her. Wanted more of her touch. It didn't care where they were, or that she wasn't demon. It just wanted her and he found himself really desiring her, as well. The caress to his skin caused an amusing reaction to his body. Soft finger tips traced his markings and he felt himself doing something he normally didn't do. He started to shift. Claws lengthened, his tongue became jagged, skin started to stretch and soft downy fur rose out.

To her surprise, Kagome found herself even more hot by this. With wonderment, she watched his bones shift and take another form. Fur tickled her finger tips. He now resembled more of what his nature is, a dog demon. It turned her on to no ends. She watched as his now muzzle edged closer to her face…

"Um, Ma'am?" A timid voice broke through the thick atmosphere.

A low, menacing growl spilled from Sesshoumaru's chest. He couldn't help it. A petite mouse demon, who worked at the store, just interrupted him. Already close to being too far gone to handle, he spun around and looked at the small, blonde mouse. She squealed, but knew instinctively to stay still. _'Pray….'_

Kagome didn't know if she should have heard that from him. It appeared he lost some of his control over, not only his body, but his mental barrier as well. But at this time, she knew only one thing. Get him back under control. Now. _'Sesshoumaru.'_

The growling didn't stop and now he stood between the two women. _'Sesshoumaru, you have to stop this now!'_

That seemed to help. Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly and turned his head to the side, penetrating Kagome with his deep red eyes. She gently pressed a tiny hand on his arm. The muscles rippled under her touch and a soft growl emitted from his body, making her hand softly vibrate. _'Calm down now.'_

It was at that point that Sesshoumaru felt his pride go to hell in a hand basket. Not only did he lose control, but in a public place to boot. He willed his beast back and bones shifted back into place, red cleared from his eyes, nails and fangs sunk back. Normal flesh appeared once where it should be and, once again, Sesshoumaru stood in his humanoid form. After taking a few more deep breaths, he quietly grabbed some of Kagome's clothes, and the ones she came in with, made sure to grab the tag he tore off, and walked to the register, leaving the frightened clerk and a stunned Kagome behind.

The empath looked at the demon and apologized. "I am so sorry."

The blonde glanced at her and gave a shaky smile, "Just …please, buy your stuff and leave."

Kagome felt awful and embarrassed all at the same time. She simply nodded her head and shyly glanced around her, catching bewildered stares from other customers. Just for extra measure, she strengthened her barrier so that she wouldn't catch mental chatter she was sure to hear.

Well, this is one store she will never be able to show her face in again.

As she got up to the register, Sesshoumaru already had a big bag in his hand and just turned to leave. He paid for her clothes! Kagome wanted to protest, but decided to just talk to him later. The emotions and aura that radiated off of him at this present moment kept her quiet. 

Ty groaned as the water splashed up on his over heated body. Unlike Nicole, he could only take so much sun. He lowered his body temperature and edged some more into the rising tide. His red eyes lazily scanned the surroundings and found no one else around except for them. Ty couldn't help the wicked grin that formed on his dragon face.

He no longer took residence by her side. Instead, his lower body resided in the crashing waves and his head rested near her tail. Ty lifted his head and peered at her from the side. Nicole was deep in sleep. Soft rumbling snores could be heard every time her narrow chest rose and fell.

Ty had to stifle a laugh as he took in his love's current sleeping position. It somehow resembled a dead cow. Her legs were sticking up in the air, and her wings were spread out under her, taking up a good deal of space. Her head is what had to be uncomfortable for the land dragon. Due to her large horn that rested on her nose, she had to twist her neck sideways. If Nicole weren't so flexible, it would look like she had broken her neck.

Ty ran a forked tongue over his elongated teeth. Her body was spread out just right. He zeroed in on her hidden sex and lifted himself up. Water dripped off of his scaled body as he quietly edged up near her. Steam started to come out of his nostrils, but it wasn't because it was hot. Unlike Nicole, Ty didn't have fire as his defensive gift. The steam was nothing other than freezing mist, evaporating under the hot summer day.

As he neared her sex, Ty opened his mouth, letting vapors seep between his teeth. He willed his tongue to freeze and he slipped it out. He grunted, unable to remain quiet, and ran it up her hot slight opening…

**"RRROOOAARRRR!"**

Okay, he didn't expect that. Ty could safely admit he wanted a different reaction.

"TY!" Nicole roared out. "That was cold!"

Once Ty saw the dark smoke begin to come out of her mouth and nose, he did the smartest thing he could at the time. With a dark chuckle, he spun around and darted for the ocean, leaving a struggling land dragon to up right and attempt to go in after him.

"Get back here Ty!" Nicole rumbled out as she started in after him.

Ty grinned at her and backed up some more. "Come and get me, my love."

The water was cold and it lapped at her heated skin. Nicole had to grit her teeth to keep from gasping at the extreme temperature. "That was just mean, serpent!"

"You know you love me." Countered Ty as he backed up to where only his neck was seen.

Nicole grinned and leaped over to him, attempting to get a hold of him in an above air tackle. But Ty was one step ahead of her. As she landed, he wiped to the right, causing her to only hit ocean instead of him. With speed that she lacked in water, Ty wrapped his body around her, and pinned one of her wings to her body. Flight as an escape option was now impossible.

Ty ran his tongue up her neck. It caused Nicole to shiver. "Stop trying to get back on my good side!" She started struggling anew, trying to work her way free.

"No, no , my love. You are not going anywhere." Ty started constricting his body, not to hurt her, but to halt all further struggles. He continued his long dragon-like kisses, enjoying how her massive, scaled body relaxed under his licks.

"Mmmm…," she groaned out, finding herself becoming hot again, but not because of the sun.

Ty felt himself grow hard, and he shifted himself so he could be positioned right under her tail, right near her swelling sex. With one swift push, he sank deep into her, letting the ocean help in keeping them balanced. Nicole growled her pleasure as he continued strong stokes. Ty opened his mouth and clamped down on her neck with his sharp teeth, keeping her head above the water.

Neither noticed that both parties were now parking in the lot and heading for the beach. 

Kagome clutched the big plastic shopping bag closer in her lap. The wind was doing a good job at blowing it around and also doing a number on her hair. She looked over at Sesshoumaru. His posture was still stiff and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel tightly. He looked really bothered over what happened back at the clothing store. 

"Sesshoumaru…" Kagome was afraid to break the silence, but she felt she really needed to talk to him. To at least apologize to him.

Sesshoumaru briefly shot his eyes at hearing her soft, but shaky voice. He knew he needed to explain to her what had happened, but he didn't know if he could. At least not yet. How could he have done that? How could he have lost so much control. A demon of his stature could have done things…_horrible_ things in that state. Things that he would have greatly regretted.

He couldn't figure out how he lost so much control. He only meant to tease her, to keep the empath off guard. Instead, his darker side seemed to pull through on a moment of weakness and took over. He knew his dog wanted her, desired her greatly, but he didn't know it craved her so much. Had he known, Sesshoumaru wouldn't have acted so freely with her. He could have mated with her! Something he didn't want to do, or he thought he didn't…

"Um… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Kagome's tiny voice made him feel something he hadn't felt in a long time. Guilt. She thought it was her fault. No, it was not hers, but his. "It is not your fault, Kagome."

She pinned him with a hard stare, trying to figure out if he were telling the truth. He had done something that she had never witnessed from him. Sesshoumaru always kept his cool. He portrayed himself as strong, infallible, and controlled. This side of him frightened her and she didn't want to be scared of him. She found that she liked being touched by him. Never before has a male, demon or otherwise, treated her like she were just a normal somebody. Yes, they didn't get off well, but after a few months, that seemed to change. Both started to slowly open up and she started to view him more as a friend.

At first that was nice. Having another friend. He wasn't like her other friends, though. He allowed her to make her own decisions. He didn't try to protect her from the world. Although she loved her other friends, they tried to hide her from the complexities of life. Sesshoumaru would only step in if things got too out of hand. That wasn't often. She found she really liked him for that. He even listened to her. Something that most would not do. Even her closer friends. But then, he started to take an interest in her. She didn't know how to handle that.

Before her thoughts ran any deeper, Sesshoumaru pulled into the parking lot. "Were here." He simply said.

"Um…okay." Kagome unbuckled her belt and opened the door. She slid out of the seat and shut the door, patiently waiting for Sesshoumaru to do the same.

No sooner were they about to walk to the beach, Miroku pulled up and everyone got out. Inuyasha hefted the box up and followed behind the group as they walked over to were Kagome and Sesshoumaru stood.

"Kagome?" Sango made a show of walking around her long time friend. "You are wearing a miniskirt!"

"It isn't a miniskirt!" She countered, trying to pull the thin fabric down more and not winning.

"Wow! Kagome has legs." Miroku couldn't help it. He just loved to tease.

Sesshoumaru found himself disliking the attention Kagome received. He stepped in front of her and blocked her view from the others. "Keep your eyes to yourself, _human_."

Miroku thought it strange that he suddenly called him a human. He hadn't done such in a good while. But he also realized that he stood protectively in front of Kagome. He shot a knowing glance at Sango, and she grinned back at him. It seemed the two of them are getting close.

Inuyasha on the other hand, didn't like it one bit. He know how his brother was in the past. Most of his female relationships were just one night stands. He didn't want Kagome to be one of those. A talk was in call for later.

Sango and Kagome decided to walk around the group of men and head for the beach. They still had an hour before the new recruits arrived. This called for some 'chilling' time. As they headed towards the soft, hot sand, they hard grunting and roaring coming from the water. They scanned the area where the two dragons occupied. Two large indents were the only signs in the sand.

So, everyone turned their eyes to the ocean.

It got a varied response from everyone. Kagome turned bright red and quickly shifted her eyes at the bag in her hands. Sango, also turning beet red, decided that facing another direction would be a better action. Inuyasha didn't know whether to be amused by the site, or just find it funny. Miroku just sat there and stared at them, secretly getting the long time answer to a question of how they did it. Sesshoumaru just frowned. It wasn't like he hasn't seen dragons get it on before. Not that he would tell anyone that.

Sango, after she smacked Miroku upside the head, yelled out, "Were back!"

It didn't go unnoticed by the two rutting pair. They quickly separated like they were caught by their parents. If Nicole could blush in this form, she would have. Instead, her wild eyes started swirling in embarrassment and lowered her head under the water until you could only see a long horn sticking out. Ty, on the other hand, just grinned and puffed his chest out. It was the most obvious display of manly 'I got some' the group had ever seen.

Sesshoumaru simply grabbed Kagome gently by the arm and led her to the large ship. The others quickly followed suit.

Inuyasha couldn't help but to add his piece in it. "Damn! Get a fucking room!"


	10. Chapter 10

-1In Under Deep

_A. N. I am saddened by the lack of response for In The Garden Of Good and Evil. I will admit that it will take a while to really get the plot down on it. But I will have to think about continuing to write it. Well, I am going back to my other love for now. My love for In Under Deep. I have spawned this story and I will finish it. My thanks to those that have nominated this story. I am very flattered. I didn't think this story would get that much recognition. Well, once I get these next couple of chapters out of the way, it will start getting juicy again. Not to mention that our characters will start getting warmer to each other (Sessh and Kags!) Let's just say that when the time comes, her telepathy will get the best of her. I am also afraid to say that when college starts back up, it might be a while until another chapter comes out. I will get this story done! I promise! LOL Enjoy!_

After much prompting from Ty, Nicole finally came out of the water and downsized. Though, the dragon demon had the honesty to blush. As brash as she can be, Nicole didn't do such things for public view. Ty, on the other hand, had no problems with it, but with the love that he has for fire breather, he could see no wrong with a little display of his overwhelming affection for her.

After everything was settled, the group patiently waited for the newcomers so they could go back to the base they call home. It wasn't long, perhaps an hour, before a large car pulled up in the parking area and two individuals got out. They conversed with the driver, pulled out their belongings from the trunk, and waved when the vehicle pulled away.

Miroku and Inuyasha met them half way and helped them with their luggage. Being one of the heads of the main operation, Miroku introduced himself to them first.

"Hello!" He greeted cheerfully. "I am Miroku. I hope your ride here was a smooth one."

A tall male, relaxed and mild mannered in appearance, raised his hand. The tell-tale strips on his arms and face told him that he is a demon. A tiger to be exact. His skin held a dark tan shade with black strips running up his arms and disappearing into his clothing. Three long strips adorned his handsome face and bright orange eyes shined in greeting. His hair bore the same main shade of orange while streaks of black blended through it.

"Hi. I am Marc White. Pleased to meet you." He shook Miroku's hand firmly and let go, stepping back so his female traveling companion could introduce herself.

Bright red hair shimmered in the light as pale skin, covered in small freckles, shown her lack of sun. Her eyes were dark emerald, standing out against her fiery hair. She was very small in frame. More so then Kagome. She looked as if someone could break her if they held her too tightly. It didn't take away from her beauty, though. She had a graceful and classic appearance.

"Hey," she greeted casually, offering a warm smile that made Inuyasha take immediate notice. "I am Syren Taylor."

Miroku went to shake her hand, but Inuyasha quickly cut in front of him, ignoring the frustrated glare from his good friend. "Inuyasha."

Syren couldn't help the small smile and tiny flush that crossed in front of her face as she took hold of the half-demon's clawed hand. "Nice to meet you, Inuyasha."

"The pleasure is all mine." He spoke as he helped pick up the woman's luggage, totally ignoring Marc's outstretched hand in greeting.

Miroku frowned even more and couldn't help but be perplexed by Inuyasha's behavior. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn the half-demon pulled a stunt that would have gotten him smacked later on by Sango. He looked at Marc and offered an apologizing shrug. "He can be a little rude sometimes, but other then that, he is a pretty good guy."

Marc waved it off and picked up his belongings, following behind the small group to the large boat in front of him. To him, he was here to do a job, not make friends. If he did make some along the way, great. If not, it wouldn't be a loss on him.

Kagome greeted them with open arms, unlike the greeting that she gave Sesshoumaru. To his surprise, the dog demon found that he was jealous of it. Pushing it aside, he stoically introduced himself. The tiger didn't make him bat an eye. He is just an IT guy for Ty. He wouldn't bump into him a lot. Syren, though, caught his attention. She wasn't what she looked. To most, the tiny woman looked like a human, but his strong nose told him otherwise.

"You are a half demon." He simply stated when he briefly shook her hand.

Kagome glared at him, but the red head just smiled at him. "Yes, I am."

Her scent wasn't bad, but it held the smell of fresh water. A smell that couldn't be really detected. Sesshoumaru had smelled it before, but long ago. "What are your parents?"

Syren easily answered his question, unfazed by his straightforwardness. "My mother is human, but my father is a Koi demon."

Sesshoumaru guessed that had to be where her hair color came from, probably her eye color, too. Not many humans had such bright colors like that. "I see," he simply said.

Inuyasha huffed. "Ignore the ass that is my half-brother. He thinks half demons are beneath him."

Sesshoumaru sent him a cold glare, but chose not to humor him with a remark. Let her think what she wants, he really didn't care. What did bother him was the annoyed glare Kagome sent him. He found he wanted to kiss it off of her face. With that train of thought, he couldn't help the smug smirk he sent her, enjoying her confused look.

Kagome couldn't understand why he smirked at her. She really wished she could dig in his mind. Deciding to put some space between them, so she could override the temptation, she turned her back to the beautiful dog and started getting acquainted with her new crewmates.

Soon, the ship started out and the beach disappeared behind them. Kagome leaned over the railing and watched the water foam up as the vessel cut through the ocean. The wind tossed her hair to one side, exposing her narrow, slender, neck. Sesshoumaru found he could lick that flesh and suck it until it turned red from the ministrations.

He wanted to go over to her, tell her that he was sorry for what he did, but the truth is, he wasn't. If there wasn't people in that damn store, he would have enjoyed much more then her skin. He would have taken her, made her scream, made her cry in pleasure until she couldn't breathe….

"Hey, asshole."

Sesshoumaru felt his lips curl up in a snarl. Inuyasha stepped into his view, cutting off Kagome from his gaze. Hard golden eyes stared hard into his, showing his displeasure over something. "If you are here to tell me off over Syren, you can save it."

"I'm not here for that." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "I am here to tell you, again, to stay away from Kagome."

Sesshoumaru felt his eyes tint red. Taking a deep breath, he willed his dark blood to calm. "She is not yours."

"You're wrong. She is my friend. So that means that I do have some sort of claim on her. I don't want to see her get hurt, Sessh. Do her a favor and stay away." Inuyasha held his brother's challenging glare, not willing to back down.

Sesshoumaru shot out his hand and grabbed Inuyasha by the throat. Turning, he dangled him over the railing, not caring if anyone saw, but thankful that no one did. "Hear me and hear me well," he growled out, this time letting the red stay in his hard glare. "You will not tell me what to do. As for Kagome being yours, remember this. She is **MINE**. If you go near her in anyway, I will personally rip out your heart and hand it to you."

Inuyasha had a death grip on Sesshoumaru's arm, taking weary glances at the rushing water under him. He could hardly breathe, but it was what Sesshoumaru said that caused him to peer deep into his brother's red eyes. 'Mine.' It rang in his ears, penetrating his brain. Never in all his years, has he heard him say such things. To the dog demon, women were just a sexual conquest. He didn't delve in the secretes of females bodies much, but when he did, it was just for a release of tension. Never had the demon said anything belonged to him.

With a graceful movement, Sesshoumaru swung his brother back over the rail and dumped him on the wooden floor boards of the ship. "Leave me, or I will toss you into the ocean."

Massaging his sore, reddened throat, Inuyasha jumped to his feet. He wanted to punch the shit out of him, but held fast, not wanting to start a fight here. "Fucker." He mumbled and walked away, heading down below were Sango and the rest were.

As soon as Kagome got out of the cramped sub, she asked Ty to let her sharks out. Syren and Marc gave her a strange look when she mentioned the sharks being her friends, but went along with it. Kagome had Will and Shippo take their belongings to their new quarters and gave them a tour of the base.

It wasn't until the end, that Kagome took them to the water room, introducing them to Shi and Tom. Syren didn't fail to notice that she held two stuffed toys in her hand. One was a large teddy bear, fluffy and pink. While the other is a large stuffed soccer ball. The koi half demon just couldn't keep her curiosity at bay.

"What are those for?" Syren questioned.

Kagome smirked. "I was figuring that Marc would be the one that would be questioning me first."

Marc gave her a mocking smile before turning his attention back forward. The old cliché about curiosity and cats not being missed.

Kagome paused in front of the large metal door that resided in the lab. She reached over to the key pad and started punching her code in. "These are for Tom and Shi."

As soon as the empath opened the large door, Syren inhaled in awe. Most of the room being thick pressurized glass, made one feel like they stood suspended out in the deep dark ocean. "It's beautiful in here."

"That it is." Marc agreed.

"This is one of my favorite places. I spend a lot of time in here." Kagome headed into the room, followed by Syren and Marc.

The large door softly thudded in place and Kagome stopped were the large windows ended. She stood there quietly for a moment. Syren gave a puzzled glance at Marc, but the tiger merely shrugged. Her guess was a good as his.

"What are you doing?" Syren asked. The curiosity getting the best of her.

Kagome just gave her a kind smile. "Calling for them."

Syren was about to question further, but felt her mouth drop open when she saw two of the biggest great white sharks she had ever seen. They swam to the glass and stopped right in front of Kagome.

"Those have to be the largest sharks I have ever seen!" Marc exclaimed, voicing Syren's thoughts.

Kagome couldn't help the small giggled that escaped in mirth. "They aren't full grown, yet"

Syren gave the biologist a skeptical look. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope." She said as she shook the toys in front of the overgrown fish. Once Tom and Shi caught sight of the toys they quickly disappeared.

"Were did they go?" Syren asked, looking at Kagome with wide green eyes.

"Come on," Kagome waved her hand at them to follow and crossed the room, stopping at the large pool of deep salt water. "They will be coming up here shortly." Kagome sat down and dangled her feet into the frigid water.

Not long after she got comfortable, both toys in her lap, the two sharks surfaced. Seeing them so close, caused the newcomers to take a sizable step back. The larger of the two, came up and gently nudge her legs.

"Um..," Syren looked at how tiny Kagome appeared next to the great white's gray nose and casted a worried glance at her. "Is that a good idea? I mean, sitting so close to them?"

Kagome just smiled softly up to her. "They are harmless, like big dogs!"

'Big dogs with really big teeth,' thought Syren. She couldn't see their mouths from this angle, and felt glad of it.

Kagome didn't mean to hear the stray thought, but it came out so loud, fear making the mental words stronger then what they should be. So, she didn't think when she went to reassure the half demon that everything would be okay. "Oh, its okay. They may have big teeth, but they won't bit you."

Syren gave her a confused look, knowing that she didn't speak out loud at that moment. Kagome glanced away and started to explain why she said that, but Marc beat her to it.

"If you can form mental barriers, then do so. Ms. Higurashi is an empath."

"Why wasn't I informed of this before I came here?" Syren questioned. She wasn't mad at Kagome, just irritated at being left out of what she felt was crucial need-to-know knowledge.

Marc just lifted one of his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "I was told of this before I boarded."

Kagome cut in, feeling guilty, even though she didn't mean for it to happen. "I'm really sorry, Syren. Sometimes really emotional thoughts are strong enough to break through my own barrier. And don't be upset about not being informed of my abilities. Marc is a rare one. Normally they don't tell anyone."

Not expecting the response she got, but very grateful all the same, Syren just smiled in an understanding way. "It's okay. Wasn't your fault."

Marc, not very interested in what was being said between the two females, decided to go back to what had his interest the most. The great white sharks. "How did you get 'eating machines' so...gentle, anyway?"

Kagome broke her eye contact with Syren and glanced up at the handsome tiger. "Well, you might want to pull up that chair over their. It will take awhile to explain."

Tom and Shi grabbed up the toys Kagome handed them and swam away, while Kagome explained to the new recruits the basics on how Miroku and she came up with their giant fish. Syren had to admit that it was pretty impressive. Marc just nodded his head from time to time in understanding.

Sometime later, Kagome found herself alone, and she had to admit, after all the running around, and giving tours of the Guppy, it was nice to be left to her own devices. Syren and Marc left so they could get settled into their new rooms. The empath found Syren very pleasant and comfortable to be around. She took the small invasion of privacy really well. She could tell that having the half koi around will add to her small list of friends. Kagome couldn't help the small smile that grew at having a new friend. It was such a nice thing having them.

'Speaking of friends...," she quietly though. 'What am I going to do about Sesshoumaru?'

The sexy demon had kept his distance. Well, more like avoiding her. Was he that ashamed by what happened today? Perhaps he was merely embarrassed by his behavior? Or maybe, he didn't view her like she found herself slowly starting to view him.

Kagome sighed. Yes. She found herself enjoying his company. At first, he irritated her. Then , angered her. Finally, like the first time they kissed, she would get all warm and giddy. The emotion surprised her. Also made her feel childish. Adults aren't supposed to feel like some teen with a high school crush. Yet, Kagome couldn't help it. This isn't her department. No one has ever loved her. Hell, no one has ever shown any interest in her before. If they did, when they found out what she was, they high-tail it out of there. Perhaps it is time to talk to someone about these feelings.

"Yes," she said to herself. "I need some female advice. Someone that can help me sort out these feelings and not judge me by them." With a smirk, Kagome decided to find the person that could help her. It may be late, but this female will be up. She just needed to work up the courage to go first…

The loading dock sat quiet, most people asleep. Sesshoumaru felt grateful about this. He didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now. At this moment, he wanted to think. For the first time, he could mentally admit that he is confused. Yes, the great and wonderful Sesshoumaru, so sure of himself, felt very confused. The dog demon snorted. Inuyasha would have loved to hear that. And it was all because of a tiny, beautiful, empath/priestess named Kagome.

A small smile pulled at his lips. He couldn't lie to himself. Over the past few months, he had grown extremely fond of her. Now, it has grown to an obsession.

No. A need. He needed her.

Kagome is so different from what he found himself used to. She didn't run after him, try to get his money, she only wanted his friendship. The woman truly has a good heart. Something he could say most, including him, didn't have. She is also a challenge. He told himself in the past that if he ever found a woman to settle with after all these years, she had to be a challenge. He didn't want a woman that easily came to him. He wanted the thrill of the chase.

Sesshoumaru knew she felt some kind of attraction to him. He could also tell she felt confusion, too. Sango told him her sever inexperience with handling men. Although Kagome tried to keep out of others minds, it didn't stop strong thoughts from getting through. Her best friend didn't tell him what some of the thoughts were, just the uneasiness and rejection once they knew what she was.

He choose to live most of his life alone. He didn't mind...most of the time. But Kagome, she didn't want to live her life alone.

Shifting his tail, Sesshoumaru leaned back against the cool wall. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and sighed in frustration. His golden eyes fixed on the denim material as he realized how relaxed he had become with the people around him. He knew that he still didn't like many humans, but the ones he worked with seemed to get under this skin. Not in a bad way either. Sango, Miroku, even Richie the chef, seemed to be oblivious to his hard shell. They excepted him, not cared what he was or how he treated them. In return, after working so close beside them, he found himself not caring what they were. He started to dress like them, talk to them, and now, even fall in love with one of them.

It occurred to the dog demon that he wished to really get to know Kagome. Know her even more then what he did. He wished to court her. Well, date her. He was glad Inuyasha wasn't a mind reader. Not only would he go off the deep end, not that he cared, but would make fun of him to no end for using an older word. The little half-breed shit did that once, tease him for using old terms. Although he ignored it for the most part, it secretly pissed him off.

Turning his mind back to formally seeing Kagome, Sesshoumaru considered how he would actually go about dating her if she excepted him. It wasn't like he could take her out to a nice restaurant. There had to be some way to win a female's affection in this godforsaken base.

The big metal doors opened up with a soft groan. Sesshoumaru saw, and smelled, the second hand smoke before the person responsible for it partially entered. Shaggy short brown hair, on a small head, poked through the opening. Deep long sniffs could be heard as the dragon, at first not seeing him, tried to decipher who else occupied the large loading dock.

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant brow at the fellow scientist and announced his presence. "It is a wonder that you can still smell at all."

Nicole quickly located his still form, smiled warmly at him, and fully entered the giant room. "I smell just fine. Though my sense of smell will never be a good as a dog's."

The dragon stopped about six feet from him, grabbed a nearby stool, a half empty can of coke, and plopped down. Her wings slumped to the sides, relaxing along with the rest of her petite body. Nicole brought the cigarette up to her full lips, took a long drag and exhaled, making sure the smoke went in another direction then Sesshoumaru's.

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her jean clad thighs and pointedly looked at the dog demon in front of her. "I do know that your scent in the hallway is old, meaning you' ve been in here for quite some time."

Sesshoumaru glanced at her, not in a cold manner, but in a way of someone thinking. Nicole could guess he had a lot of his mind. She wont press on it, though. If he wanted an open ear, or an opinion, he will ask for it.

Nicole swiveled around on the stool. A goofy smirk on her lips as she entertained herself. Ty had important matters he had to attend to, so she found herself at a loss of what to do. Most everyone at this hour was asleep and she didn't want to do any work in the lab right now. So, she grabbed up her pack of smokes and decided to come here. She didn't expect to see Sesshoumaru here, though. Not really a pleasant, but not bad, surprise. He just wasn't...good company.

Pressing her feet onto the floor again, Nicole pushed off, spinning faster. She almost lost her balance and squealed, wings immediately flapping open in hope to quickly slow down.

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, finding it hard not to when in the presence of the American. "Act your age, dragon."

Nicole gave him a fake impression of being insulted. "What? I am!"

Sesshoumaru though of berating her more, but his mind shifted in a different direction. From what he understood, the two dragons met here. Perhaps she can offer some ideas on how to approach Kagome. It wasn't like she was ignorant to what has so far transpired between the two of them.

Hesitating at first, Sesshoumaru gave the dragon a calculating look. "Nicole..."

In the middle of a drag, Nicole lifted a dark brow, showing the dog that he had her undivided attention.

"How did you and Ty...meet?" He asked, trying to make it smoothly come out, but finding it hard to.

Nicole pushed herself into a spin again. She understood what he was asking and couldn't find any other way of hiding her knowing grin then spinning. The hard-headed demon finally admitted to himself that the human was worth more then just her weight in gold. But that didn't stop her from picking at him. "Well, we met here."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, showing her a golden glare. He didn't feel like playing games. "That isn't what I asked."

Planting almost black clawed toes on the floor to stop her movement, Nicole softly smiled at Sesshoumaru. "I know what you asked. You want to know how Ty won my affections."

Sesshoumaru simply nodded his head once.

"It wasn't easy for him." She began, leaning back. "Land and sea dragons don't really mix. I was told because land dragons carry a strong smoky smell to them, like something burning, adding to their natural scent. Though most care less, Serpents just don't like the smell.

"Well, my clan comes from deep with in England. We differ from most. Our eyes being a big indicator of that. We have to be in a deep blood rage for them to change like yours."

Sesshoumaru slid down the wall and made himself comfortable on the metal floor. Nicole grabbed the half filled Coke can and used it as an ashtray for her cigarette. "Anyway, Ty said that when he first saw me, and smelled me, he fell deeply in love." Nicole made a face at this. "When I first met him, I just wanted to finish sunbathing."

Narrowing his eyes, again, Sesshoumaru wanted her to get to the point of the answer he so desired. It appeared the dragon has a slight case of ADHD. "Can we get on with the part of courting?"

Nicole snorted, not caring if it sounded unlady like. "Do yourself a favor. Don't sound so damned old school and ask to court her. Shit, you must be older then me. That's saying a lot from a demon that is five hundred and twenty-eight."

"Nicole" Sesshoumaru's voice sounded frosty and she could tell that he was loosing patience.

The dragon held up one hand in a surrendering fashion. "Okay!"

Getting up from her stool, Nicole carried on while pacing. "Ty tried over a dozen times to get me to agree on a date. Finally, I broke down and allowed him one evening to 'woo' me." She stopped a moment, softly smiling over the memory of that night, before pacing again. "I didn't really think he could pull off anything. I mean, the base is kind of drab.

"Well, that damn sea dragon went to Richie, bought some wine and food, redecorated his room, and lit candles all over the place. By the time he finished, the place looked like a medieval fairytale."

Nicole gave Sesshoumaru a look that she rarely gave anyone. Normally, the dragon only projected her good natured rough attitude, but this appearance showed how much love she held for Ty. He felt himself wanting Kagome to give him such an expression.

Deciding that he had an idea on what he wanted to do now, the dog demon gracefully rose to his feet. "Thank you, Nicole. You have been very helpful to this Sesshoumaru."

"No prob!" She said with a careless wave of her hand.

Heading to the large doors, Sesshoumaru grabbed the handle, but paused when he heard the dragon's voice. "By the way, Sesshoumaru, should you hurt Kagome in any way, you might have more then Inuyasha to worry about."

A part of him couldn't believe Nicole threatened him, but out of all of Kagome's friends, Sango and the dragon seemed the closest to her. The engineer, more sisterly, while Nicole projected a guardian-like nature. Keeping that in mind, Sesshoumaru merely nodded and went back to his room. He had a lot of planning to do if he wanted this to work out.

After working up enough nerve, Kagome decided to go and hunt down Nicole. She didn't want to go to Sango. She may be her best friend, but she didn't know about the small involvement that her and Sesshoumaru have seemingly spawned. She didn't want to go to anyone else, either. Miroku would just make it all dirty. Shippo, though sweet, was too young to have any good advice. Inuyasha was so out of the question. He was too damn protective anyways. Ty, well, she wasn't going to bother the computer engineer. He had enough to do. So, that left Nicole as the best candidate for the job.

It was really late. She didn't feel like sleeping and knew that after she was done with this little quest for advice, it might be too late to get any sleep. 'Well, at least I will sleep good later on.'

The first stop to find the dragon, led her to Nicole's room. After knocking a few times, she realized that she couldn't be in there. If she wasn't in there, then perhaps she was in Ty's room. That thought made her pause. Perhaps she shouldn't go there. What if they are having sex? That would be really inconvenient to just go up and knock on the door. After standing in the hall for a few minutes, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to just of down the hall and check. If the pair was doing something that shouldn't be interrupted, then the noise alone should alert her.

To Kagome's relief, when she entered the hall, there was no x-rated noises. So, she walked down the hall and timidly knocked on the serpent's door. Again, no one answered. 'Okay, where is she?'

There could only be one last place the demon could be if she weren't in her or Ty's room. She knew it wouldn't be the lab. She just left there, so that just left the loading dock. Feeling a bit better about not finding her friend in a compromising position, Kagome headed back out to the main hall and down to the dock. After a couple of minutes, she found herself in front of the large doors.

Taking a deep breath of encouragement, the empath opened one of the doors and stuck her head in. As soon as she opened the door, Kagome was greeted with a large dark brown scaly hide. Yup, Nicole was in here.

She stepped all the way in and softly shut the door behind her. "Hey, Nicole."

The dragon shifted and swung her head around until she could see the small biologist over her folded wings. "Hey, Kagome. What are you doing up so late? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The sound was beast-like and almost like a deep growl, but Kagome wasn't frighten by it. She could still hear the friendliness with a little bit of concern mixed with it. "I couldn't sleep."

Nicole frowned. Really, humans shouldn't go very long without sleep. They just weren't built like demons. "If you needed something for sleep, I am sure I could have found you something to help. You are not very productive at work when you don't get a few hours of sleep, Kagome."

This wasn't a new conversation for Kagome. There were many times in the past Nicole or someone else, like Inuyasha, fussed at her because of a miner case of insomnia. 'Why is it that if another human can not sleep, they could care less, but if it is me, God forbid!' With a slightly frustrated sigh, Kagome refocused her mind back to what she sought her friend out for. "I didn't come in here to discuss my lack of sleep, Nicole. I need…advice."

This caused the dragon to lift an inquiring brow, which looked strange in her true form. It caused her scaly brow to stretch the other scales surrounding her eye in a vertical fashion, making them lift when they were normally smooth and flat. "What advice could I possibly offer you, my dear?"

"Well," Kagome found herself feeling embarrassed and stupid all at the same time. It was like all of her resolve flew out the door when it came to this kind of conversation. "It is about Sesshoumaru."

Nicole tried with all of her might to hide her knowing grin, but had failed, resigning herself to a small wicked smirk instead. She shifted her body into a more comfortable position and lowered her head onto the front of her clawed feet. "What about him that you wanted to talk about?"

"I-I really like him. I feel like I am becoming very… attracted to him. But, what I feel is very confusing." Kagome laid her hands helplessly in her lap and told the dragon what had happened in the store they were at. How it felt when his long, thin, tongue slid up her arm. She told her about the rising feelings that have started to manifest inside of her, how she didn't really understand them. How she felt stupid, unsure.

Nicole couldn't hold it in anymore. Kagome was just so cute and innocent when it came to matters of the heart and the opposite sex. So the dragon did something that at first Kagome took the wrong way. She giggled. It sounded bazaar when she did it, more like a coughing sound, but it was a giggle no less.

Kagome huffed, feeling even more inadequate. "If you are going to laugh at me, then I am sorry for bothering you." She got to her feet and went to turn away, planning on leaving the large room Nicole lay out in, but was stopped by a large claw gently wrapping around her midsection.

"Wait, Kagome!" Nicole smiled. "I only laughed because I think it is cute."

Kagome threw a confused glance at her, making the dragon release her and explain what she meant.

"I mean that you are so innocent when it comes to things like your feelings. It is hard for me to believe that you are a telepath and not understand things like love. Have you not felt that emotion from others?"

"No," the empath explained. "I have not intruded on others. It is very confusing and stressful to open my mind up to others. That is why I use my mental barrier. The thoughts of others is like having your mind slip into a realm of insanity. It is just too overwhelming."

Nicole nodded her dragon shaped head once in understanding. Kagome's telepathy was fascinating, but when explained like that, she was glad she didn't have the gift. "Love is something that everyone feels in a different level, but almost the same."

Kagome looked slightly crestfallen by her explanation, but plastered on a fake smile. She didn't want the demon to think her words of advise was bad. She just hoped for something more informative then what she got.

Nicole noticed the disappointed glance and thought for a moment. After a couple of moments of silence, she decided the only way to explain the emotion of love, is to just go and show her. "I think I know a better way of explaining this to you."

Kagome shot her a small smile at her willingness to share more info. She didn't, though, expect what came out of the dragon's mouth next.

"Look into my mind."

Kagome protested the idea right away. "No. No way. I am not going to look into your mind. That is violating your privacy, Nicole. I wont do that to you."

Nicole grinned, showing her deadly rows of sharp teeth. "You wont be violating my privacy. Not if I give you permission to look into my mind. It wont hurt me. I think you can at least open up to mine. I wont fill your head with perversion. I promise." She held up one claw in a show of girl scout honesty.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at that. The perverted side of Nicole would be a side she never wanted to see. She had a suspicion that it might even make Miroku blush. "I'm not thinking that! I am just worried that I might over…hear your other thoughts that you might not want me to hear."

Nicole lowered her head so that it was only a few inches from Kagome, making sure her horn didn't get in the way. Trust swirled in her large eyes, showing her friend that she had total faith in what she was allowing her to do. "Just open your mind, and I will open mine."

With that said, Kagome slowly lifted her hands and softly placed them on Nicole's hard plated cheeks. She watched as the dragon closed her eyes to her gentle caress and waited for her to do her thing. Kagome leaned her head on the dragon's forehead and closed her eyes as well. Slowly, she allowed her barrier to fall and pushed herself into the mind of the demon in front of her.

At first, Kagome didn't feel anything. No thoughts overwhelmed her, or wild emotions, just a calmness that felt almost like she were relaxing in her bed. _"Nicole?" _She called out, wanting the dragon to know she had entered her mind.

A mental version of Nicole appeared in front of her. Not in her dragon form, but her humanoid one, instead. _"I am here, Kagome."_

Relived, Kagome smiled at her. Nicole smiled back, showing her only trust and friendship. A clawed hand was extended out to Kagome, and the empath took it into her own. _"I am ready."_

"_Good." _Nicole simply said. _"Now, just relax and remember, not all feelings of love is the same. I like to think of them as similar, but having their own signature."_

Kagome nodded and waited. What she didn't expect was the first wave of devotion unlike she had ever felt. It almost made her physical form stumble, but her hands pressed harder onto Nicole's cheeks, seeking a steadier grip. She felt devotion, but not to this extent. The next feeling she got was a wave of giddiness that made her giggle. It made her body tingle, and to her surprise, felt much like the child-like feelings that washed over her. Finally, a wave of deep passion washed over her form. Just with Nicole thinking of Ty made her weak in the knees with desired to please him in every fashion. Not only sexually, but in all other ways. Even when she walked beside him, talked to him, sat by him, all of it. Everything she did, she wanted Ty to love. It was such a strong emotion that Kagome gasped and felt a sob escape her throat.

"_Easy, Kagome." _Nicole said. _"There is one more that I have been waiting to deliver to you. Us demons are very willing to protect the ones they love and would do anything for their mates. Even though Ty and I are not at that point, it is still there."_

With that said, a strong feeling of protection swept over Kagome. It made her feel like she would die if something were to happen to Ty. It also made her feel like she would walk to the ends of the earth for him. She found herself thinking that she would kill, steal, anything if it would keep the serpent safe from harm. It was just as strong as the devotion. It also frightened Kagome to some extent, too. This is a side of Nicole she had never seen. _"Oh by the Gods…," _she whispered.

Nicole just smiled at her, giving her a gentle squeeze of her hand. _"Don't fear this, Kagome. Tell me, do you feel any of this?"_

Kagome thought for a moment, but her emotions were such a scramble. The goofy giddiness, yes, but she couldn't understand any of her other feelings. _"Some, yes, but I still don't know about anything else."_

Nicole smiled at her. _"Then my dear, you are falling in love."_

The statement was pure and simple, but still had Kagome feeling a little fear. _"But, what if he don't feel the same way? What if he just wants to use me?"_

Nicole laughed. Not in a mean or teasing way, but a knowing way. _"I think you will be surprised at what he thinks. Just believe in yourself. You doubt yourself too much. Open up and be who you are. That much is what everyone loves about you the most."_

Once Nicole finished her sentence, she gently pushed Kagome out of her mind. Kagome moved back into her body, a little unstable at first, but finally let go of the demon's face and stepped back.

"Thank you, Nicole. For talking to me and sharing your knowledge with me." Kagome gave her a grateful, wide smile.

"That is what friends are for, Kagome." Nicole softly said. "Now go and at least try to get a couple of hours of sleep."

Kagome chuckled and turned to leave. "Goodnight, Nicole."

"Goodnight." Rumbled the dragon. Yes, Kagome had a lot to learn about love, but first and foremost, she needed to learn about herself. She had a good feeling about the two. They will most certainly make a good couple. A couple with a love that will last beyond eternity.


End file.
